Mass Effect: The Right Side of Wrong
by Justanotherghostwriter
Summary: Hey guys, this is my 1st fanfic, I'm trying to work on my writing skills. R&R greatly appreciated! A/U Mshep & Fshep, brother and sister. Commander John Shepard will do whatever it takes to end the Reaper threat, even if he and his crew are the only ones that believe there even is a threat. However, will he be able to succeed when his past is chasing him down with her Widow Sniper?
1. Biotic Training

John took a deep breath as he calculated his next move. His gaze floated over the structure in front of him, looking for areas of structural weakness and areas that were particularly sturdy. He was sitting in the mess with most of the crew crowding around the table. The animated conversations that were taking place around him were only slightly distracting.

"I got fifty credits on Shepard, no way he loses!" One crewman called over to Joker, who had taken the shift off and was serving as the ship's unofficial bookie.

"Fifty more on Shep, that brings the total amount of credits on the line to over two thousand," Joker crowed happily as he entered the bet into the datapad he was holding. "Really guys, you must be really bored if you're willing to bet this many credits on two guys playing Jenga," Joker called to the rest of the room which responded with an eruption of guiltless laughs.

"It's not a game, we are practicing _control_ and _finesse_ ," John's opponent said calmly from across the table. "This is legitimate biotic training, right Shep?" He asked looking across at him as he was still struggling to find the right piece.

"Nah, it's totally a game Alenko, and I'm going to win," John said with a grin as the crowd around the two biotics 'oooohhed' and clapped.

"I don't even know why you two are bothering with this game, It'd be a lot more fun if you just knocked the damn thing over," Wrex grumbled good naturedly from the edge of the crowd. His comment earned the krogan cheers from the Alliance crew and several pats on the back.

John smiled at the display, it had been two weeks since he had acquired the Normandy and his crew was already gelling together as if they'd fought a hundred battles together. It was both to encourage that camaraderie and to let the crew relax a bit after the mission on Therum earlier that day that he had given the crew the night off.

"Ignore him, I don't think our krogan friend here understands _precision_ ," Garrus' flanged voice reverberated through the crowd as he patted the old krogan on the back, the crowd once again erupting.

"I can toss you out the airlock at hundred meters Vakarian, if you want to talk about precision," the old krogan replied thumping Garrus happily on the back and almost knocking him off balance.

"I might help you out with that one Wrex, he's been 'calibrating' that Mako for two weeks now and it still flips around like a fish out of water," Ashley Williams called over to the large krogan from across the table.

"I'll help as well, yesterday he filched the good dextro rations from the kitchen," Tali chimed in playfully from behind Ashley.

"Woah, woah, before the angry mob starts let's remember that M-36 Mako is by design a piece of shit tank. I can only do so much," Garrus called back holding his hands up in surrender.

"Coupled with the fact that our illustrious Commander couldn't drive a bike," Kaidan added with a laugh that was quickly joined by the rest of the crowd.

"True, anyways, I'm putting a thousand credits on Alenko, Shepard has been sitting there quietly for like five minutes now trying to figure out his move," Ashley said as she threw her credit chit to Joker who barely caught the small object as he was still laughing himself hoarse. Presumably due to the outrageous image of the first human Spectre riding around on a bike.

"Ohhh we have a high-roller!" Joker yelled exuberantly. "Shouldn't you be saving those credits for a hardsuit that isn't _pink_?" The pilot continued as punched the Chief's bet into the datapad.

"Shut up Joker, wouldn't want-," Ashley began but fell silent when she saw that the Commander was now glowing blue.

He had picked his mark. The small wooden block began to glow blue as he pointed his own glowing blue finger at it. The crowd had gone silent now, watching the event that was unfolding. Carefully, he inched his finger forward slowly and the block responded by sliding to his will. Suddenly, the Med-Bay door hissed open and distracted him just enough. The biotic field he was generating fluxuated and then expanded capturing two extra blocks above his target and knocking them out of place. The effect was immediate, the entire tower tipped to the right and collapsed.

He groaned as the crowd roared at his failure. Kaidan leapt up from the opposite side of the table and held his arms up in victory.

"The Commander goes down! Looks like Williams will be getting some new armor!" Joker called to the crowd which was now a mix of cheers and swearing.

"Damn it Chak-," John began as he spun around to face who had just walked out of the Med-Bay, but instead of finding the elderly physician he found himself looking at a wide-eyed asari.

"Oh-um- hello there…everyone," Liara stammered, clearly caught off guard by the crowd of strangers.

The crowd was silent in return as they all stared at the newest alien on board. No one knew whether she could be trusted or not, they only knew her as the daughter of a traitor. Not a good first impression.

"Right, everyone… Um, continue with your fun while I talk to our guest," John offered quickly as he climbed to his feet. "Good game Alenko, rematch later?" He asked quickly as he strode towards the asari.

"You know it, Commander," Kaidan replied earnestly.

With that, John marched towards the staircase gesturing for the asari to follow him as he headed to the Comm room.


	2. Plans

Jane walked down the darkened corridor, never letting her left hand to stray too far from her pistol that was holstered on her thigh. She had been doing this for a long time and knew to always be ready for the worst. Her line of work didn't really allow her to business with what one would call _trustworthy_ people.

 _I don't need to trust them, just their credits._

She smiled at the thought as she arrived at the end of the long hallway. The door in front of her was closed, the panel glowed red indicating that it was locked.

 _Great._

She crossed her arms and leaned back on her back leg as she looked up at a camera expectantly. Then she heard a voice echo from the ship's comm.

"Are you the one?" The voice asked simply, the camera above her head was swiveling about trying to get a better look at her.

"No, I'm the fucking pizza guy," She replied while rolling her eyes with contempt. "We are out in the middle of nowhere. I had to travel for six days and make eight relay jumps just find this tin can you call a ship. I know you aren't getting any other visitors," She continued while glaring at the camera.

 _Idiot._

"You didn't answer the question. You have one more chance or I vent that corridor, this isn't a fucking game," the voice replied angrily.

"Fine, yes I'm the one. Now open the damn door!" She replied resignedly while pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Enter," the voice replied as the door hissed open, revealing the ships main control room.

She walked forward through the doorway and found a man standing alone the center of the room. Along the edge of the circular room, there was at least fifteen mercenaries, including to her disgust several batarians, all with their guns trained on her.

 _Fucking batarians. You guys are lucky I'm getting offered a lot of creds here or you'd already be dead._

"Welcome to my ship, I hope you understand my precaution," The man in the center of the room said, gesturing to the mercenaries around them. In person his voice was much smoother than what she'd heard over the comm.

"Yeah, nice manners. Love being welcomed by firing squad," Jane hissed sarcastically.

"You're the best in the business so I hear, and I have to assume that you are here trying to collect a bounty on me," the replied casually.

"Whatever, just tell me who to shoot. Half the creds up front, or I walk," she said as she glared around the room at all the guns trained on her.

"Fine, fine. Take this datapad, it contains all the info on your target, although I think you know him," the man said with a menacing grin.

Frowning, she reached out a grabbed the datapad from the man's hands. The she nearly dropped it when she saw the picture of her target. Tall, built, he would be nearly 6' 4 now, easily. His face possessed those piercing blue eyes that stared down potential Alliance recruits on nearly every one of their recruiting posters. The flaming blonde hair, short on the sides but longer on the top so he could still style it. He looked just like her father, the same way she looks just like their mother. Her own blood red hair, and rather small physique wouldn't even suggest that they were related. On the top of the picture read his name. _Commander John Shepard._

She looked up at the man in front of her, he was smiling now, bright and warm. "Who are you?" she asked weakly.

 _This guy knows I'm his sister, the way he was smiling before… No one should know who I am!_

"My name is Elanus Haliat. I have a debt that needs to be settled with the illustrious Commander Shepard, as I believe you do… Miss Shepard," He replied, making sure to emphasize her name.

She looked back down at her brother's photo, and felt her blood begin to boil. She hadn't seen him in years. He was always so… _perfect_. Everything he did, he was always the best at it. She was "Shep's little sis", always in his shadow. Whether it was by her parents, her friends, her teachers, it didn't matter- she was always treated as second-best. It didn't matter that she was the Valedictorian, because Johnny did it first. It didn't matter that she was a top-ranked soccer player, because Johnny was the Captain of the Wrestling team. It didn't matter that she passed her officer's exam with flying colors, because Johnny achieved N7-designation the same weekend. He was so focused on success that he turned his back on them. Always her parent's favorite, she doubted to this day that their father even saw it coming. The hero of Elysium, killing his own father in cold blood to advance his career.

 _Oh yes, I believe that I do have a debt that needs to be repaid._

"I'll take care of it on one condition," she said not moving her eyes from the datapad.

"Yes?" Haliat asked, his eyebrows arching questioningly.

"I do this alone, no batarians," she spat as she raised he face from the datapad and glared at one of the aforementioned aliens.

"Of course, I will wire 250,000 credits to your account," He replied with a grin.

Nodding, she turned away from Haliat and began her long trek back to the docking tube. She had her mission, one that she'd been waiting a long time for.

 _Going to be quite the family reunion Johnny. Wonder what traitor the Alliance will laud next when I put a round through your skull at a hundred meters._

Liara followed the human up the stairs. She rubbed her hands nervously as she walked.

 _Goddess he's large… and the way his crew looked at me, they think I'm a traitor. Where is he leading me, the brig? Do human ships even have a brig?_

Liara was snapped out of her thoughts by the hissing of the door at the top of the staircase and followed the Commander through quietly. She followed him as they turned left and entered another room. It was mostly gray, and very large. The predominate feature was several chairs arranged in a circle.

 _A meeting room?_

She blinked out of her thoughts and realized that the Commander had gestured for her to take a seat, without a word. She quickly did and watched as he sat down next to her. He folded his hands onto his lap and looked at her for a second, as if sizing her up. It made her kind of nervous, he didn't look particularly happy. Then, he surprised her for not the first time that day.

"Dr. T'Soni, it is good to see you up and about. How are you feeling?" The Commander asked, his face showing what appeared to be genuine concern.

 _Or at least I think that is concern. Goddess, I can't read him!_

"Um- yes I'm feeling a lot better actually. You physician was very nice, I was impressed by her knowledge of asari physiology," she stammered, and chanced a smile. She was pleased to see that he visibly relaxed and returned it warmly.

"Chakwas is the best, you're in good hands," he replied while nodding fervently.

 _How am I in anyone's hands? Is that one of those stupid human idioms I've read about?_

"Um, yes, I'm pretty sure I agree," she replied slowly, still smiling slightly. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you Commander. It is likely I would have died down there if your team hadn't shown up," she said and felt herself visibly shake at the thought.

"It was my pleasure Doctor, I'm just happy you're ok," the human replied with what appeared to Liara to be sincere happiness.

 _Not what I expected from a human I've always heard they were a aggressive species. Goddess, since I've met him he has succeeded in carrying me out of a volcano and taking the time to ensure I was feeling ok. Maybe I should begin making my own judgments on his species?_

She once again shook her head to clear her thoughts, and noticed to her embarrassment that it had gotten uncomfortably quiet. "Oh, sorry Commander, I was lost in my thoughts," she said quickly, and felt her face flush.

 _Great, now he thinks you're an idiot!_

"Anyway," she continued quickly, noticing that he was smirking at her now purple face. "I wish to assist you in any way I can with your investigation," she finished with more confidence then she necessarily felt.

"Thank you Doctor, I really appreciate that. I know this is probably very hard for you," the Commander replied as he rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

The effect of the small gesture was immediate. She felt her insecurities recede and her confidence grow ten-fold. It was at that moment she realized that he hadn't saved her because he needed to, it was because he _wanted_ to. The distinction made her smile radiantly at the Commander before she spoke.

"My knowledge of the Protheans could be useful on your mission Commander, I also am an accomplished biotic, and received some Commando training when I was young" she said with confidence she definitely now felt.

"I'm sure it will. We will have to have a meeting later with the rest of my ground team to decide our next move, I will debrief you then, we will need to know everything you know about Benezia's involvement with Saren," He said lightly, still smiling warmly.

"Yes Commander, that won't be a problem," she said seriously, although she could feel her heart rate jump up at the mention of her mother.

"Good, and you can call me Shepard, Doctor," he said as he stood up from his chair.

Taking the cue, she rose as well and faced him. A grin plastered on her face. "Only if you call me Liara."

Shepard laughed at this. She noticed how _perfect_ his laugh was. Clear, rich, and completely carefree. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed like that.

"You drive a hard bargain, _Liara_ ," he emphasized her name for effect. To her surprise she felt her heart flutter at the sound of him saying her name. It was strange, but wonderful. She hadn't really felt that before.

 _Stop it! You met him six hours ago! What are you, some little girl with a crush? You don't know anything about him!_

However, he interrupted her with a question. "You said you were a biotic?" His eyebrows were arched as if they themselves had asked her the question.

"Yes why?" She asked, and watched his face light up with an idea.

"I think I know how to introduce you to our crew, and maybe put a certain Lieutenant in his place if we're lucky," he said as his smile turned into a scheming grin.


	3. Child's Play

Shepard rushed out of the comm room, dragging Liara by the hand. The asari was protesting profusely, but he didn't care. This would be his finest hour when it came to building his crew. He led her down the stairs swiftly, barely listening to Liara as she was saying something about "Being taught to not use her biotics recklessly". He arrived at the bottom of the stairs and strode through door. He arrived to quite the scene. Ashley appeared to be in middle of a drinking contest with _Wrex._ Each of them had a small pile of empty shot glasses in front of them, the crowd was losing their minds as Williams was matching the large krogan shot for shot. No one even seemed to notice that they'd arrived.

"Don't worry guys, I'm going show the old man that Alliance marines know how to drink!" She called out as she pounded back what appeared to be her eighth shot.

"Ooo-rah!" The crowd roared back exuberantly.

"Please Williams, no human is going to outdrink me, give up now before you hurt yourself," Wrex said with a chuckle as he threw back his own shot.

 _Where did they get all the booze from? All we had was beer…_

Just then he saw Kaidan slip his credit chit to Requisitions Officer Jamison.

 _Ah. Typical Kaidan, and to think I was going to guess Chakwas._

Shaking his head he looked over his shoulder and saw Liara staring at the table with wide eyes. Realizing the last krogan she'd seen had tried to kill her he quickly reassured her. "Don't worry, that's Wrex, he's friendly…mostly," he said with a grin.

Just then, Wrex decided to toss back another shot, and yell "KORBAL!"

John watched as Liara's eyes only widened further and couldn't help but snicker at the frightened asari. Shaking his head, he walked towards the table and stood facing it at parade-rest, Liara standing behind him.

"Attention Normandy, Commanding Officer on deck!" He shouted in his 'Command voice' as Garrus had called it. The effect was immediately, every human rose from their seats or turned to face him. As did every one of the alien crew members, including to his mild surprise Wrex. He took in the condition of the crew. For the most part they looked fine, except for Williams who was swaying slightly.

"Ok, just a quick announcement and I'll let you all get back to watch Ash's brave sacrifice," he said cheerfully as several of the crew members snickered.

"I wus abou to beat em', Skipper!" Ashley said seriously.

"Yeah, sure you were Chief," Kaidan said from behind her, resting a hand on her shoulder to steady her.

"Anyway, I would like to introduce all of you to Doctor Liara T'Soni. She will be staying with us indefinitely to serve as both a Scientific Resident and possibly a Combat Specialist," He said slowly, watching the crowd as he let his words sink in. Most showed no reaction, although he noticed Ashley wrinkle her nose in annoyance. "To be clear, every single one of you will treat her with the respect I would expect you treat any member of the crew," he continued, focusing on Ashley as he spoke. She seemed to take notice and stood a little straighter. "There will be a debrief tomorrow at 1500 to discuss our next move for all of the Officers and Combat Specialists in the Comm Room, that will be all," he finished earnestly.

"Ok, now that Shep's done running his mouth, I think we have more drinking to do Williams," Wrex said to the Chief, who looked like she was about to pass out.

"Mmk, I think I got-," she began before John interrupted her.

"No, I need you alive for the next ground mission, Wrex wins," he said sternly. His voice discouraged any argument and she stumbled away from the table over to a group that contained Garrus and Tali. Meanwhile the krogan roared victoriously.

 _Ok, show time._

He looked behind him and saw that Liara was still standing there awkwardly. He flashed the asari a smile which she didn't return. She gave him a look that screamed _Don't do it._ Grinning wickedly, he sought out the one person in the crowd to set his plan in motion and found him chatting idly with Joker.

"Hey Alenko, Liara claims she's a biotic and could teach you a thing or two about _finesse_ ," he called over to Kaidan, his voice full of suggestion. He could practically feel Liara staring daggers at him.

"Ohhh, reaallly?" Kaidan asked with a grin. I guess we will have to settle this with Jenga!" He replied loudly so everyone around him could hear.

 _There you go Kaidan, I knew you would get it._

"Oh shit! The newbie is challenging Alenko!" Joker crowed loudly. "The betting will start at 5 to 1 odds in favor of Alenko," Joker continued as he pulled out his datapad.

John turned around and looked down at the little scientist, who had miraculously had changed to a whole new level of purple. "Ready?" he asked lightly. He watched as she seemed unable to speak for a moment, and simply brought her hand to the bridge of her nose.

"Was it your intention to embarrass me? I don't even know what a _Jenga_ is!" she cried.

"No, that was just a bonus," he teased as Kaidan began to set up the wooden tower on the table.

Kaidan finished setting up the wooden tower, and was deep in thought.

 _Shep's obviously trying to integrate the Doctor into the crew, while getting an idea of her biotic power. But is setting up someone to lose in front of the whole crew really the best idea? Or maybe he's trying to illustrate to the crew that a human can be just as good as an asari when it came to biotics?_

He knew that asari were the preeminent natural biotics in the galaxy, but he also knew that Doctor T'Soni was a _civilian_. There was no way she could actually win against an experienced soldier like him.

 _Unless Shep knows something you don't. She did put up a decent barrier back on Therum, and she hadn't eaten or drank anything in a week…_

Smiling to himself, and still not fully understanding the Commander's angle, he sat in his seat at the table and gestured to the asari to sit.

Liara sat at the table and felt a little claustrophobic as the crew began to surround the pair of biotics. She looked across the table and pass the strange structure to look at the Lieutenant. He was very friendly back on Therum and even now wore a warm smile. It did nothing to calm her nerves however, and she could feel her heart pounding in her ears.

"Ok, everyone betting is now closed! We have a lot of creds on the line here, almost all you bet on Alenko. Actually, only two of you bet on the Doctor," one of the humans called out with glee. Liara didn't recognize him, but he wore a distinctive scruffy _beard_. Or at least that's what she thought they called those things. He also wore a disheveled hat that spelled out SR-1.

 _Goddess, only two bet on me? The Commander really is trying to embarrass me! How does he expect me to play a game I've never even heard of?_

"Ok Doctor, I'm Kaidan, I don't know if you remember me," The Lieutenant said as he held out his hand across the table.

Recognizing the gesture, Liara immediately shook the man's hand an replied, "Of course I remember you, you helped to save me back on Therum, and I'm very grateful," she replied smiling at the human.

"That's surprising, you're not very memorable Alenko," one of the humans called from the crowd, and was rewarded with a chorus of laughs.

"Anyway, do you know how to play, or did the Commander just throw you to the wolves?" He asked her kindly, not acknowledging the jibe.

 _The wolves?_

"Um, I believe he threw me to the wolves," Liara replied nervously. However, she was rewarded with a chorus of laughter for reasons she couldn't place.

"Real nice Commander, picking on the new girl?" Kaidan called to someone behind her, who she realized was Shepard.

"We'll see. I have a good feeling about this," Shepard replied evasively.

 _A good feeling about this?!_

"Ok, anyway, since you don't know how to play, I'll go first. It's very easy to pick up, don't worry," Kaidan replied with a kind smile.

She watched as the human began to glow blue, the whole crowd went silent. Then, Kaidan held out a finger and began to slide one of the wooden blocks out of the tower. Then, very carefully, he floated the block up to the top of the tower and placed it. Then, his corona died and he looked at her expectantly. The crowd erupted into cheers and claps.

 _Wait…that was it? Just move the blocks?_

She stared across the table for a moment at the man, not understanding if this was a joke. Seeing that he looked completely serious she then turned around to look at Shepard who was beaming down at her, and she knew she had to ask.

"Um-, I don't really understand, is that it?" She stammered nervously.

"Yes, that's it. That's not going to be a problem, is it Liara?" Shepard replied as if he already knew her answer.

"No, it just seems too easy," she replied more loudly then she intended, and watched as several of the humans stared at her aghast.

"Hmm, well, why don't you demonstrate?" Shepard asked, grinning from ear to ear.

Shrugging, she summoned her corona, and barely thinking about it, began to pull block after block out of the tower and moved them to top of the tower with precision and _ease_. Still confused to why this was even entertaining. Finally, after about moving about fifteen blocks, she let her corona die out and looked at the Lieutenant. He sat there, his jaw dropped in shock. She shifted her gaze around the room and saw many of the humans shared the expression.

 _Goddess, did I do something to offend them?_

"You can just _do_ that? You weren't even trying!" Kaidan said finally, breaking the silence that was stretching over the crowd.

"Um, the asari have something similar to this actually. It's called Bari'lo. When asari children become biotically active, usually shortly after they finish teething, they lack the ability to control their powers," she said nervously. "Essentially, they are little blue bombs, so mothers will play Bari'lo with them to teach them control. It's actually a very important tradition, every mother will buy their daughters a Bari'lo set for their first birthday," Liara explained as she rubbed her hands uncertainly.

"Wait, you're telling me we are training with a game asari play as babies to keep them from blowing up the house," Kaidan said slowly.

"Um, yes. Although the blocks in Bari'lo are slightly smaller," she replied.

Her response was greeted by a deafening silence as the humans looked around at each other dumbfounded. Then, the silence was broken by a small snicker behind her. She whirled around and saw the Commander struggling to contain himself.

"What's so funny?" she demanded narrowing her eyes at the laughing human. However, he only responded by laughing harder. Then, one by one everyone in the room followed his lead until laughing filled the room. "Seriously, what's so funny?" She demanded to the room at large.

 _Why are they all laughing?_

"I…I…quit," Kaidan croaked in between fits of laughter.

"Liara…wins…forever," the bearded human called through his own mirth.

 _WHAT IS THE JOKE?!_

"Commander why is everyone laughing at me!?" she demanded while standing up to face the human.

"They're laughing because you burned human biotics everywhere, and you don't even know that you did it," he said happily.

 _How did I "burn" anyone?_

"Oh Goddess, I didn't mean-," she began frantically before Shepard waved her down.

"It's ok, Liara. It was funny, no one is insulted," he said smiling.

 _Your social awkwardness has now reached a whole new level. Goddess, how did I not see that?!_

Her train of thought was broken by the huge krogan that came lumbering over to her. "Nice one Blue, I think you just earned your place," he said with a toothy grin.

"Um- thanks Wrex," she replied only a little uncomfortably.

"Uh-huh, now outta my way, I have to collect my credits from Joker," he said with a cackle.

"Wait, you bet on me?" She called after him in surprise.

"Of course, I've been around long enough to never bet against your people Blue. Asari have a lot of fire for such flimsy little things," he replied gruffly before continuing on his way.

 _I should really start believing Shepard when he tells me something._

"You were right about him, I think I like him," she said happily as she turned to the Commander.

"He's not the only one I was right about. Now excuse me Doctor, I have to go collect _my_ credits," he said wearing the grin she was beginning to recognize as his trademark.

 _Of course, I should have known he knew what he was doing!_

At that, he turned and departed towards the bearded man behind the krogan, leaving her among a throng of humans and several aliens that all seemed eager to introduce themselves.


	4. Debriefs & Restlessness

**_Authors Note: Hey guys, I just wanted to apologize for the problem with Chapter 3. I clearly botched the formatting there and I didn't even notice it for like a week. I'm new at this but hopefully that won't happen again. Fingers crossed right? Anyway, here is chapter 4. I was on the fence about some of the stuff earlier on in the chapter, particularly the way I wrote the "meld scene", but I think it finished strong. I would also like to add that the "group chat" concept wasn't my own idea, I read that in another fanfic and loved it enough to use it in mine. I hope no one is offended, I actually don't remember the author or I would give credit where credit is due. Anyway, before I bore you guys much more I would like to give shout-out to Li1991. My first review and it wasn't "U suck" haha, really helps to keep me writing. I guess I have to keep going even if it's only one person who is happy about it lol. Anyway, please enjoy and R &R if possible, and since I didn't say so yet I do not own Mass Effect or any of these characters. (Really wish I did). Thanks Bioware, and I guess EA too… -Justanotherghostwriter_**

"Relax Commander, _Embarace Eternity!_ " Liara said as she opened her eyes, her pupils black. Suddenly the room was gone from her vision, instead she found herself somewhere totally different. She was on some Prothean world as the explosions rang out around her. The only sound that could be heard above the blasts was the screaming of a trillion souls. Mothers, fathers, and children butchered mercilessly by an enemy they couldn't hope to understand, let alone fight. Then the world morphed again, and she found herself in a lab, where what appeared to be a prothean was being augmented with alien-looking technology. He was still alive, screaming in pain as a cable snaked its way under his flesh in his abdomen. No one was controlling the cable, it seemed to move of its own intent, weaving ominously and with purpose. The sinister tube ran its way along his chest until it emerged by his shoulder, breaking the skin. The screaming amplified, but was heard by no one. The hose then wrapped itself snake-like around his neck and penetrated his skin again under his jaw. Finally, the prothean's wailing ceased, replaced by a gurgling noise that made Liara's skin crawl. The destination was not in doubt, and Liara was ready for it when she saw the tube jerk violently upward as it penetrated the man's brain. Still, she was barely able to suppress her scream as she watched the life drain from the prothean's eyes, which was replaced by an eerie blue glow. Finally, she watched as everything seemed to zoom out until she was looking at some black planet. The last image she saw was some squid-like space ship flying towards her. It was accompanied by a single phrase. Three words that seemed to take form in her mind as if she remembered them herself. Words so absolute, so bloodcurdling, that she knew that she would never forget them. _They are Coming._

"Go-Goddess," she muttered as the vision faded and she once again found herself in the Normandy's Comm Room, surrounded by her new crew mates. The Commander had been debriefing her for about a half hour, and then had mentioned the prothean beacon. He had said that he didn't understand it, and that it was affecting his sleep. Now she understood why.

"Well, what'd you think?" Shepard asked quietly.

"I think that you are remarkably strong-willed to have been able to receive this information, Commander," she said weakly as she tried to sort out what she'd just seen.

"Well did you learn where the Conduit is? Or was this just a waste of time?" Ashley interjected harshly from her seat to Liara's right.

"No- no the message was incomplete, likely due to the damage to the beacon," she said frowning. "However, it's easy to see that you weren't lying Shepard, the protheans were destroyed by sentient machines," she added quickly to the Commander after seeing the Gunnery Chief start to turn red with anger.

"I see, well this is good news," Shepard said as he smiled at her.

"Um- how is this good news Skipper?" Ashley asked confused from her seat. "We haven't gained anything from this!" She said angrily as she gestured to Liara.

"Easy Chief," Shepard said as he held up a placating hand. Liara watched as Williams immediately settled down and hung her head gloomily. "This is good news because Liara just showed us that Saren still needs more information to find the Conduit. He has the same knowledge that I have, and since that isn't enough to find it that means we have more time," he said happily.

"Oh, yeah I guess that makes sense," Ashley said lamely.

"Right, so I guess we are done questioning Liara, unless any of you have any questions for our new Resident Scientist?" Shepard asked as he smiled at her warmly. She felt a flutter in her stomach at him using her new rank aboard his ship. Then, the warm feeling in her stomach was gone and replace by a sense of dread. _She_ had a question for him now.

"Shepard, if you don't mind me asking, what do you plan to do when we find Benezia?" she asked as steadily as she could. Even if her voice didn't betray her, she knew her eyes surely did, as she could not meet his gaze which seemed to bore through her.

"We will attempt to bring her in peacefully for questioning," he said sympathetically.

"And if that fails?" she croaked, he throat was suddenly very dry. He looked past her for a second, as if he was staring at some point on the wall behind her. She thought she already knew his answer, but he surprised her.

"As a Spectre, I'm allowed to play judge, jury, and executor," he said faintly, more to himself than to anyone in the room. Then he focused on her, his gaze hard. "That being said, I know what it's like to kill a parent, and I wouldn't wish that pain on anyone. You've seen what I've seen. You know what I'll have to do, but just know that will be my last resort," he said coolly as he turned and began to walk towards the door. "Dismissed!" he called over his shoulder as the door sealed behind him.

 _He knows what it's like to kill a parent?_

She stood still as all the other members of the ground team stood and began to walk out of the Comm Room. Soon she found herself all alone, lost in thought, except for the quarian who walked up to her.

"Well, that raised some interesting questions," the quarian said curiously.

"Yes. Did he seem angry?" Liara asked nervously.

"Yes, but not at you Liara," Tali replied simply. "Anyway, when I first got on the Normandy, I was very curious about her Captain," Tali said as she began to fiddle with her omni-tool. "After some digging, I was able to find some information on Shepard. Military records, personal history, lineage. Very interesting actually, you should check it out Liara," the quarian continued quickly before Liara could reply as she persisted to work the omni-tool. Suddenly, Liara's own tool lit up on her wrist, beeping to indicate a new message.

 ** _You've been added to chat group "Normandy" with Zorah92, Vakariansbetter24, Wrex, Joker4ever, and KAlenko._**

 ** _Zorah92 has tagged you with doc. "Biography of Comm. Hot-Head"_**

"What is this?" Liara asked.

"Just a little group chat for the ground team we set up. We asked Ashley to join, but she didn't want to. She still doesn't trust us "aliens" too much," Tali replied.

"Does the Commander know about it?" Liara asked nervously.

"Nah. We thought about inviting him but then we realized if we did we wouldn't be able to talk behind his back during meetings," she said with a snicker. Curious, Liara worked her omni-tool until she could see the message board.

 ** _Zorah92- This sucks, he's been rattling on for like fifteen minutes._**

 ** _Joker4ever- At least you get to be there, I have to spy with the cameras. I feel like some horny teenager peeping on the hot neighbor girl._**

 ** _Vakariansbetter24- Checking out Blue?_**

 ** _Joker4ever- Totally not what I meant. Besides, why would I need to watch her on camera? I have plenty of other girls on camera waiting in my personal database._**

 ** _Zorah92- Ew._**

 ** _KAlenko- You guys maybe want to pay attention here? Sheps going over some pretty important stuff._**

 ** _Zorah92- Shut up Kaidan._**

 ** _Joker4ever- I agree. Shut up Kaidan._**

 ** _KAlenko- Fine. But I'm not telling you guys what he was going over._**

 ** _Wrex- I hate to agree with that pyjak, but you guys might want to pay attention. Sheps 'bout to meld with the asari._**

 ** _Joker4ever- What!? In the middle of the Comm Room?_**

 ** _Wrex- Not that kind of meld idiot. Honestly I don't know why I'm in this stupid chat._**

 ** _Vakariansbetter24- It isn't because you're a team player?_**

 ** _Wrex-No._**

 ** _Joker4ever- So what color is Ash right now? On the camera she's looking red but I'm thinking she's gotta be a little green._**

 ** _Zorah92- What? That doesn't make any sense!_**

 ** _KAlenko- Human expression. He's saying she's jealous._**

 ** _Vakariansbetter24- Why can't your species just say what they mean?_**

 ** _Joker4ever- Dunno. Just something that we've been doing forever._**

 ** _Zorah92- U guys think this means Shep is interested in our newest crew member?_**

 ** _Vakariansbetter24- Hmm, I don't know. What I do know is that everyone loves asari._**

 ** _Joker4ever-Nah, I think it's just business. Shep could have been with half the female crew by now if he wanted to. He's too focused on the mission._**

 ** _Zorah92- I don't know. Shep definitely went the extra mile for her yesterday and now he's melding with her? At this rate that girl is going to be knocked up by the next time we dock at the Citadel._**

 ** _Vakariansbetter24- Hmmm, I think we need more data to develop a growth pattern._**

 ** _Joker4ever- Like wait and see if the Commander develops a "growth pattern"?_**

 ** _Vakariansbetter24- Nice haha._**

 ** _Joker4ever- Haha, I try._**

 ** _Zorah92- You guys need help. Or at least some girls of your own._**

 ** _Wrex- As much as your endless gossip interests me, they're about to start._**

 ** _Zorah92- Omg Omg! I've never watched an asari meld before, is the black eye thing normal?_**

 ** _Joker4ever-Yep._**

 ** _Zorah92- Ew. Why am I not surprised that you have watched an asari meld?_**

 ** _Wrex- He's not the only one. However, I've done it in person._**

 ** _Zorah92 has disconnected from the group chat._**

 ** _Vakariansbetter24 has disconnected from the group chat._**

 ** _KAlenko has disconnected from the group chat._**

 ** _Joker4ever- Damn cowards. So Wrex, how was it?_**

 ** _Wrex has disconnected from the group chat._**

 ** _Joker4ever- Damn. Alone again._**

Liara looked up from her omni-tool, feeling her cheeks grow hot. No doubt she was blushing.

 _Great, now I'm the talk of the ship. I wonder if they're on to something about Shepard. Could he really be interested in me?_

"Uh, thanks Tali. I'll definitely read into this," Liara said with a nervous smile, still blushing profusely.

"No problem. You're one of us now. It'll be nice to have some more female perspective during our conversations… Although Kaidan's alright sometimes," the quarian said cheerfully. "Anyway, I'm going to head down to the mess to get some dinner, I'm starving! You're welcome to join me, you might be able to help me catch that thieving bosh'tet Vakarian," Tali offered with what appeared to be a smile. Liara couldn't tell under the quarian's mask.

"Um- yes, that would be nice actually," Liara stammered but returned the possible smile warmly.

"Great! I have this whole plan set up!" Tali squealed as she began to run out of the comm room, dragging Liara behind her.

 _Goddess two days on this ship and two times I've been dragged into other peoples convoluted plans!_

"Right, sorry about that ma'am. Just finished running your files and everything seems to check out," the turian said over the comm.

"That's great! May I please dock with the station now?" Jane asked sweetly over her ship's communicator.

"Of course, the _Redrunner_ is cleared to dock at docking bay A411. Please enjoy your stay on the Citadel Miss Benson," the turian said politely.

"Thank you! I really appreciate it, have a nice day sir," Jane replied pleasantly as she cut her comm.

 _Ugh. Way to overplay it Jay. Any sweeter and you'll probably get diabetes. Fucking Customs and Immigration… At least they're stupid._ Jane thought as she steered her ship towards the aforementioned docking bay.

 _It's only a matter of time now. I might not be able to track that ship of yours Johnny, but sooner or later you will come to me._

John was lying in his bed. He had finished the meeting an hour ago and had immediately gone to his room to try and catch some sleep. Yet here he was, staring at his ceiling. Liara's meld had definitely helped restore his conviction there was still time to catch Saren. Plus the asari had been able to somehow push some of the more horrifying images from the beacon from the front of his mind. If he succeeded in falling asleep, he knew there would be no nightmares. He longed for that restful sleep, it had been eluding him since Eden Prime. However he now had other thoughts tugging at him.

 _He raised his gun and pointed it at the center of the older man's chest. "Stand down Captain!"_

Thoughts from the worst day of his life.

 _"Come on Johnny. We both know you wouldn't shoot me! Now put the gun away before someone gets hurt!"_

The day he failed for the first time in his career.

 _"Captain Victor Shepard, stand down now! I will not warn you again! The brass has found indisputable evidence that you have been sabotaging this operation from the start!"_

The day before Torfan fell, the day before the legendary "Shepard's Push".

 _"Bullshit Johnny! You know me! You know I wouldn't do that! Now lower the gun son, I don't want to kill my own blood…" The man said as he leveled his own gun at John's face._

The day before _he_ took the moon. The day before he became "The Butcher of Torfan".

 _"I saw the data Dad. You have been receiving bribes from various known pirate organizations for the last month! Over a million credits! I'm glad it only took some money for you to turn your back on everything you've stood for!"_

The day that stood in such stark contrast from the earlier days of his career. The day that turned the "Hero of Elysium" into someone who could barely look himself in the mirror.

 _"You don't know what you're talking about. Everything that I've ever done has been for you, your sister, and your mother! I've been serving the Alliance for forty years and have been nothing but loyal! And how do they repay me? As soon as an operation goes sour they send my own son to arrest me for crimes I didn't commit!"_

The day he killed his father.

 _"Enough, I'm ashamed to call you my father. I might have at least respected you if you admitted what you did, but you're too cowardly to even do that!"_

 _"Johnny, ple-," the rest of his father's statement was cut-off by a gunshot. The older man looked down at his chest, were blood was beginning to pour out. He then returned his gaze to John. John looked for any emotion in the man's face, and found only one, pride. "You could be great you know. It's not too late son," Victor Shepard said as his legs buckled and he dropped to his knees. "You just have to learn that sometimes you can do the right thing for the wrong reasons."_

 _"Bullshit! I had every reason in the world for this! Justice, integrity, the good of the fucking mission?! Or did you forget about those things?" John roared as he flung his pistol at the wall in anger. "You brought this upon yourself! You're a traitor! You weren't submitting to arrest! What else was I supposed to do!?" John raged as he stormed forward to where his father was kneeling._

 _"Ah, my dear son. That may be true, but there is only one thing that matters in this world," Victor wheezed as he coughed up a good amount of blood. "It's knowing that you can be proud of what you leave behind when you die," Victor said as he handed his own pistol up to his son, who was towering over him._

 _John grabbed the gun quickly but froze when he looked down at it. His gaze transfixed on the shot counter, which read: 0 Shots Remaining, Please reload to fire. "You- you weren't going to-," but he stopped when he looked at his father, who had slipped to his side and was now lying on the ground. His eyes glazed over. The last expression on his face was the trademark Shepard smile. The same one that his son wore, Captain Victor Shepard's likeness would be his only monument after the details of the operation, and the nature of the Captain's involvement was marked as classified in all Alliance databases a week later._


	5. Dirty Cops and Annoyed Spectres

"Tali, do you think, um, that you're being a bit paranoid?" Liara stammered.

"WHAT!? NO! I know he's stealing the extra rations… He's been doing it for weeks Liara! Here, look at this data," Tali replied hysterically while pulling up a file on her omni tool. The two of them had been sitting in the mess for twenty minutes, and had been discussing the quarian's suspicions over a light meal. Liara was eating something the humans called _spaghetti and meatballs_ , while Tali was drinking protein shake through what she called an "emergency induction port".

 _This food looks like intestines. How can humans eat this? Well, I'm on a military ship now, they aren't exactly known for their fine cuisine… Goddess this is going to be repulsing._

Liara scanned over the data the quarian was showing her, and had to admit it looked suspicious. For the two dextro crewmembers, Shepard had been nice enough to order twice the amount of the suggested rations for each of them. This didn't surprise her, however, Tali had cross-referenced the rations ordered with the rations that Requisitions Officer Jamison actually delivered to the mess every week and found that the extra rations were indeed missing. "Did you show this to Shepard?" Liara asked curiously while prodding the disgusting-looking meal in front of her.

"No. I do not need his help to catch that bosh'tet. He thinks he's so clever, but I'm on to him!" Tali replied darkly. "I don't even care that he's stealing them! I grew up on a strict rationed diet back on the fleet, I actually don't think I could eat any more than I do. I only care that he won't admit it was him!" Tali continued seriously while closing her omni tool.

"The data you showed doesn't prove it was Garrus, it just shows that the rations are missing," Liara offered thoughtfully while spinning her fork in the noodles.

"He's the only other dextro on the ship Liara! That's probable cause. He's also an ass, there's your motive," Tali countered.

"Hmm, maybe. So what do you want to do?" Liara said as she hesitantly piled the pasta into her mouth.

 _Goddess! This is delicious! How can something that looks so disgusting taste so wonderful?_

"Me and you are going to _talk_ to the dear Requisitions Officer. He's obviously helping Garrus, how else could the records be changed? We'll get him to sell him out," Tali said confidently.

"I don't think that is a good idea," Liara replied nervously through a mouthful of noodles.

"Don't worry Li, we aren't actually going hurt him. Besides, Jamison is a shady little bastard. One of the first things I learned on this ship is to get what you want from Jamison all you have to do is slip him some credits," Tali reassured her.

"Ok, let's go I guess," Liara mumbled reluctantly.

* * *

 ** _Two Minutes Earlier:_**

Joker was sitting in his chair, his feet up on the console as he flipped through the ships surveillance feeds. The Normandy hadn't been given a new course yet, so he had spent the last day lounging about, tweaking maintenance reports, and watching vids on his omni tool.

 _Come on Shep, just tell me where to fly already._

However, his thoughts were answered at that moment when the Commander's voice came over the Comm. "Joker, plot a course to the Armstrong Nebula, we have some Geth to kill. I want us there ASAP."

"Aye-aye," Joker replied happily as he sat up and began to work the console. "I'll have us there in a couple of hours," continued as the calculations were completed.

"Damn right, thanks Joker," Shepard responded as the Comm was cut out.

The Normandy swung around a hundred and eighty degrees, and Joker could feel the ship begin to shake as he engaged the FTL drive. The ship sped sped off,and he sat back into his chair. His job was now done for a few minutes until he got to the relay. Then, out of the corner of his eye he saw the surveillance feed of the mess, and saw to his amusement Tali was sitting with Liara. He flipped the volume in time to hear the quarian's "elaborate plan" to shake-down Jamison.

 _Hmm, well it will probably work, Jamison will totally fold. Too bad a certain turian is going to beat you there Tali._

Activating the direct Comm-Link on his omni-tool, he called Garrus, the smirk never leaving his face. The turian answered almost immediately, and his coarse voice echoed through the cockpit.

"What's up Joker?"

"Our little quarian friend is getting pretty creative. She and Blue are heading down to get Jamison to sell you out," Joker answered lazily.

"Hm, well we can't have that. I guess I'll just have to beat her there, thanks Joker," Garrus said with a small chuckle.

"Uh-huh. My pleasure. You were right, this is almost _too good_. It's like my own private sit-com," Joker replied with his own laugh.

"A what?" The turian asked suddenly confused.

"Ugh, don't worry about it, just make sure you beat them there, they just got in the elevator," Joker said as he checked the surveillance feed again.

"Uh-huh. That means I have what, an hour to walk across the cargo bay?" Garrus countered lightly as he cut the Comm.

* * *

Garrus knew what people called him before he arrived on the Normandy. "Loose-cannon", "irresponsible", "talented but belligerent", and many less savory adjectives. All of these qualities led to him failing as a C-sec officer. However, one thing he did understand was how criminals got caught. They would confess, leave evidence, or maybe even be exposed by witnesses. Yet, more damning than any of those circumstances to the criminal was being betrayed by their would-be allies. As a former detective, he had no trouble hiding evidence, or avoiding witnesses. He knew how it worked. Now, however, he would have to ensure that he left the quarian no "loose ends" for her to grab at, or the masterful tapestry he had weaved may just unravel. He kept his allies few, just Joker who served as his eyes and ears, and Requisitions Officer Jamison-who gave him the means to mess with the young girl. He knew the former would remain loyal unless confronted, but the latter is what concerned him. Jamison was faithful to the highest bidder, which made him a debilitating liability to his prank, albeit a necessary one.

He walked around the corner and found the dark-skinned human mulling over some data on a datapad. "Hey Jamison, we got a problem," Garrus said calmly as he leaned against the wall next to the RO.

"Yeah, what's up Vakarian? I'm kinda busy so make it quick," Jamison said absently, his eyes still scrolling over the data.

"Right, well Tali and Blue are coming down here to threaten and perhaps bribe you into selling me out," Garrus said lightly.

"Huh, sounds like quite the jam. I like you Garrus, and trust me I think this whole thing you're doing is hilarious, but I don't know if I like it enough to deal with the pressure," Jamison replied, his voice full of suggestion and his eyes still not even moving from the datapad.

"Whatever she offers you I'll double it, and trust me I'll _know w_ hat she offered you," Garrus grumbled. He knew this was inevitable but this was becoming quite the expensive joke.

"What about the threats? I don't know if _double_ makes me feel very safe," the RO replied, still utterly expressionless.

"Spirits, fine! I'll triple it! Just keep your mouth shut, they aren't actually going to do anything anyway," Garrus growled.

"Great, my memory is suddenly blank," Jamison said with a small grin.

"Good-," Garrus began but was interrupted by the distinctive _ding_ of the elevator arriving. He made sure his face was absolutely expressionless before Tali stormed out with Liara in tow.

"Jamison, I got-," the quarian began hastily but froze when she saw Garrus standing next to him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him suspiciously, her glowing eyes visibly narrowed beneath her mask.

"I was just discussing with Jamison here the possibility of him ordering me the new Mark VIII Precision Targeting System for my Mantis," Garrus replied evenly.

"'Discussing'? More like arguing! I'm telling you Garrus there's nothing I can do, that system is _illegal_ in council space!" Jamison interrupted angrily.

 _He's a dick but damn can he lie._

"Uh-huh," Tali replied, not sounding totally convinced. "Anyway, we have a problem. It seems the requisition orders for the dextro rations don't exactly match with your delivery logs, _Requisitions Officer,"_ the quarian practically sneered the human's title in contempt.

"Hm, that's interesting. Maybe I made a mistake in my log?" Jamison offered dryly.

"Bullshit," Tali exclaimed as she moved closer to the Requisitions Officer to point in his face. "You're helping him and I know it! 2000 creds, Jamison! I have 2000 credits with your name on them if you just come clean!"

"Um- I really have no idea what you're talking about ma'am, but I'll be sure to double check my records in the future," Jamison replied unfazed.

 _Give him some credits and the man becomes a rock. Ah shit, I owe him 6000 credits though._

"Well, I think we're done here, it's clear that I won't be getting my new targeting system. I know the whole 'saving the galaxy' thing isn't as important as the Galactic Safe-Armament Initiative," Garrus interrupted sarcastically. "Anyway, I gotta go do some calibrations, maybe I'll talk to you later Tali, when you're done trying to pin me with false accusations," he added wryly as he turned to leave. However, Liara decided to pipe up at that moment.

"Garrus, it's highly coincidental that when we came to question Jamison you happened to be here already."

 _Not giving up yet, huh?_

"Hm, maybe. What's your point Blue?" He replied as he stopped and looked over his shoulder at the asari. She was shorter than him by almost a foot, and was a deep cerulean blue. He noticed almost immediately that her facial markings resembled human eyebrows. Those same markings were furrowed suspiciously just as he had seen on Chief William's face when he first arrived on the ship. However, it was accompanied by a warm smile. She was suspicious of his story but she wasn't annoyed like Tali was.

"Well, if we were to assume that it wasn't coincidental, which I believe me and Tali are going to do, it would be sensible for us also to assume that you knew we were coming," the asari replied reasonably.

 _Damn it. This is a dangerous line of thinking._

"Well, looks like I'm not the only detective on the ship. Looks like you finally found yourself a partner who could use deductive reasoning Miss Zorah," Garrus said with a chuckle to the quarian, who replied with some quarian gesture that could only be obscene. "However, there is still one problem with your logic Liara," he continued.

"And what would that be?" Liara asked him confused.

"You're using an assumption as the main piece of evidence. That doesn't lend itself to a successful investigation. Good day ladies, Mr. Jamison," Garrus finished as he turned to walk away.

 _Damn. They're closing in. The one loose end I left them was me, at the scene of the crime. Sloppy Vakarian. Although this still has the potential to be very funny before it's over._ Garrus thought with a smirk.

* * *

"Miss Vasir, I believe I have a new assignment for you," Councilor Sparatus said over the Comm.

"Yeah, and what would that be?" she replied calmly, tossing the datapad she was reading onto the nearby sofa. She had been a Spectre for nearly a hundred years now and was used to talking to the Councilors. They would receive no "ma'am"s or "sir"s from her, and they knew to expect it.

"I'm sure you've heard of your newest _brother in arms_ ," the old turian offered acidly. It was immediately clear to her that Sparatus held no love for the "First Human Spectre".

"Shepard? Yeah, I've read his file and have been keeping track of his mission reports. Very impressive actually," she replied lazily as she pulled up the aforementioned file on her omni-tool.

"Yes. The other Councilors have been just as easily impressed as you, but I'm not so easily fooled!" The turian spat angrily. The increase in volume coupled with his already flanging voice coupled to create possibly the most obnoxious noise she'd ever heard.

"Ugh, right. What's wrong Sparatus? Still holding some animosity to the humans for kicking your scaly asses during the First Contact War?" She grumbled.

 _If you insist on annoying me with your voice, I will do what I can to return the favor._

" _The Relay 314 Incident_ was hardly a skirmish, and if the Council hadn't forced a cease-fire we would have bombed the humans back to rock they call home," the turian replied hotly, and Vasir couldn't help but smile at how easy it was to bait him.

 _One day I'll get Tevos to lose her cool. That'd be interesting, Sparatus is just too easy._

"Well, I'm sure your right. I'm sure the humans just got a lucky swing in at Shanxi," she replied sarcastically. "Anyway, what were you saying about Shepard? I am quite busy you know," Vasir continued briskly before the turian could reply.

"He hasn't been answering our calls! Tevos and Valern seem to think it's because he just doesn't like us that much, but I think he's up to something," Sparatus said anxiously. "Spirits, the last time were able to talk to him he had recruited that traitor Benezia's daughter onto his ship! When I asked him about he told me 'I don't care about your opinion you pompous turkey' and then hung up on us!" Sparatus drawled on crossly.

Vasir was struggling to contain herself at this point.

 _Two weeks on the job and he's hanging up on them and ignoring them?! I hadn't started doing that until I at least had tenure. That's ballsy Shepard._

"So what do you want me to do about it? Tell him to call you up? Arrange a dinner date?" Vasir replied mockingly.

"He's gone to the Armstrong Cluster. I want you to reestablish communications with the Normandy. It's going to be tough to find, it's a top-of-the-line stealth frigate-," Sparatus began before Vasir hushed him silent.

"Hold on," she said as she rolled her eyes. Then she sifted through the human's file that was still in front of her until she found what she needed. _Communications Code: SSV Normandy- A1145K90_. Smiling, she entered the code into her own communicator and waited for all of three seconds.

"Um- hello? This is Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau of the SSV Normandy. To whom do I owe the pleasure?" The new voice asked hesitantly.

"Flight Lieu-," Sparatus began again but Vasir interrupted him.

"Shut the hell up Councilor. Hello Mr. Moreau. I'm Tela Vasir with Special Tactics and Reconnaissance, can you please patch me through to Commander Shepard?" She asked politely.

"Yeah, sure thing Ms. Vasir," the voice replied with a chuckle and then cut out. Another minute passed by until a new voice came over the Comm.

"Hello, this is Shepard. Ms. Vasir I appreciate this is probably important, but please make it quick, I gotta lot of Geth to kill," Shepard said kindly over the Comm.

"Actually-," Sparatus tried speaking again before Vasir again interjected.

"Again, shut up Councilor," Vasir snapped. "Anyway, no it actually isn't that important at all Shepard, I apologize. It's just the lovely Councilor here was about to send me running all over the Traverse after your ass because he suspects 'you're up to something'," Tela continued exasperated.

"Why the hell would he suspect that?" Shepard asked incredulously.

"Because you haven't been answering your calls Shepard. It turns out the all-powerful Citadel Council is actually made up of insecure little school girls," Vasir answered dispassionately.

"Damn, well you can tell the Councilor that the only thing I'm 'up to' is completing my mission that he and the other councilors assigned me. Also, the only reason I don't answer them is because I have to deal with enough horrible things throughout my day, so I don't need to add that to the list," Shepard replied frankly.

"Shepard, I can hear-," Sparatus tried once more to enter the conversation, but yet again was interrupted, this time by Shepard.

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry Ms. Vasir, I believe we just ran into some interference, I'll have to call you back at another time," the human said with a snicker.

"Of course, thank you for your time, and good luck," Tela replied, herself laughing at the human's blatant disregard of the turian.

"Thank you, it was nice meeting you Tela," Shepard said as the Comm cut.

"Well, I believe I have completed that mission you gave me Mr. Councilor," Tela said with a snigger to the lone remaining person in the chat.

The turian gave no more than a noncommittal grunt before he cut his own comm leaving her in blissful silence.

 _Easiest mission of my career. I definitely like that Shepard, he's almost as ballsy as Saren was, without the sociopathic tendencies-hopefully. Now to get back to my actual work._ She thought as she pulled out her datapad and dived back into the document she was reading before she was interrupted. _Known Agents of the Shadow Broker- Citadel Intelligence_

* * *

"Shepard, we have detected Geth signatures around Casbin," Joker's voice echoed over the Comm.

"Sounds good. Radio Wrex and Williams to ready up, and plot an approach vector for the Mako drop," he replied as he walked over to his locker.

"Aye-aye. Anything else Commander?" Joker asked.

"Yeah keep scanning this system. Hackett said the Geth presence was extensive so I doubt this is the only planet they're holed up on," John replied as he pulled his armor out.

"Got it, Joker out," the pilot replied as he cut the Comm.

He pulled the obsidian chest plate over his head with minimal effort. Years of military service made the task almost like second nature. He then pulled the matching N7 leg plates on. The whole set clicked together and then released the trademark hissing noise as the suit pressurized itself. Just then he heard another hiss as the Med-Bay opened up. He didn't even need to look up to see who it was, he was kind of expecting it.

"Commander, may I ask why you aren't bringing me on the mission?" The asari asked.

Looking up, he saw the hurt in the asari's eyes and sighed. "Sorry Liara, not this time. I still need to evaluate your skills before I can bring you into a combat situation. Besides, Wrex and Williams will provide the best set of skills for this particular mission," he replied as he pulled on the N7 boots and gloves, which again pressurized with a hiss.

"You've seen my biotics at work, you know I can help!" The asari countered angrily. "And I'm pretty sure you didn't evaluate the rest of the crews' skills before you brought them out!" She added a little bitterly.

"Maybe, but I've still never seen you shoot a gun. There will be plenty of situations where biotics will fail, and when that happens you need to be able to fire a gun. As for the rest of the crew, they all had military experience before they arrived on the Normandy," he replied calmly, reaching into his locker again to retrieve his Firestorm shotgun.

"I can shoo-," the asari began before he stood up to his full height and stared her down with a placating hand up. "Enough Liara. I'll take you down to the range myself when I get back, then we'll see. Now I gotta go kill some Geth," he said, his tone discouraging anymore argument.

"Yes Commander. I'm sorry for questioning you," the asari replied ruefully.

"It's fine. I expect my crew to question me. If I can't defend my actions they probably aren't good actions," he said with a smile that the asari returned. Then he spun around to walk towards the elevator, only to find himself face to face with Kaidan.

"Commander, I want to come on the mission. This is an Alliance operation, and I'm Alliance," the lieutenant said firmly.

 _Great, another one. What's next, is Tali going to run up here to question me? Or his Garrus going to sneak onto the Mako before we leave?_

"Sorry Alenko. You're staying here. You got to come back on Therum. Wrex is due for a mission, and if you want to tell him that he's staying on the ship while we go kill things again, be my guest," he replied irritated.

"He doesn't have to stay behind, I'll just come. The Mako can carry up to four people!" Kaidan countered .

 _Gah! Whatever._

"Ugh, fine Alenko. Gear up, I expect you down in the cargo hold in less than five!" John said jadedly.

"Yes sir!" Kaidan replied enthusiastically as he ran off to his locker.

Rolling his eyes, John again tried to march off to the elevator only to be interrupted by a small hand tapping him on shoulder.

 _Oh shit. Liara… this is going to be really bad._ He thought as he slowly turned around. He found the asari standing behind him, her arms crossed, her eyes which were usually big and kind were now narrowed dangerously. "Um, my reasoning is still sound," he offered her lamely.

"Uh-huh," she said coolly.

"I mean, he was right, this is an Alliance operation, so he deserves to come," he tried hopefully.

"Uh-huh," she said just as coldly as before.

"Um, if you think about it, you got to come on the Therum mission too," he pointed out nervously.

 _That was precisely the wrong thing to say. Time for a tactical retreat._ He thought as the asari's eyes narrowed further.

"Right I gotta go, we can talk about this later, bye!" He said quickly and immediately whirled around and jogged to the lift. The last thing he saw before the doors closed was Liara pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head.

 _Damn. That's a new one. An upset crewmember has never made me run away like a little girl before. That's going to be quite the awkward conversation later. At least no one saw that…_ He thought as the Comm in the elevator blared to life, and Joker's laughter filled the lift.

"I…must be…mistaken…," the pilot struggled through fits of laughter. "But did I just see the 'First Human Spectre' wet himself in the face of an asari half his size?" Joker asked excitedly.

"Shut the fuck up Joker. I swear if you tell anyone about that I'll kill you myself," he growled.

"Ha! Yeah you could try Commander. I'll just get Liara to stare you down," Joker retorted with a snicker.

He groaned and dropped his face into his hands, willing the elevator to move faster. Joker took that as a sign to press his advantage.

"So, what's the deal? Does the mighty Commander Shepard have a crush on little Blue?" Joker asked mockingly.

"I'm not even going to justify that with a response," he snapped, but he knew he was in a losing situation.

 _I don't know actually, do I like her like that? She's definitely beautiful, and smart, and shit… I've only talked to her a couple of times! This is ridiculous._

"Awe, this is too cute. I can't wait to tell Tali, she's going to lose her shit. She kinda called this happening the other day," Joker continued gleefully.

"Please don't, the moment she finds out everyone on the crew will know. I honestly don't know how she spreads information so fast," he pleaded.

"There's a group ch-, I mean, yeah I have no idea," Joker answered.

"Wait, a what?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, don't worry about. What you _should_ be worried about is me telling Garrus, now _that_ would be funny to watch," Joker covered quickly.

"Ugh, Good God no. Fine, what'll it take for you to keep your mouth shut?" He asked bitterly.

"Oh-ho! Commander Shepard caught by the balls! Stuck between a rock and hard place by his infinitely smarter and better -looking pilot!" Joker crowed triumphantly. "I'm sure I'll think of something ," he added as the elevator finally dinged upon reaching the cargo bay.

"Yeah whatever," he grumbled as he left the elevator which once again was filled with the FLT's laughter. 

**_Author's Note: Hey guys, well this was by far the longest chapter I've written so far, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. There's been a lot of fluff thus far, actually it's all been fluff. I don't know exactly how much that will change. I don't know how much action you will be seeing in this fic, that's a decision I will make along the way. Anyway, I hope you guys liked the liberties I've taken so far with the story. I decided to bring in Vasir, she will be getting her own story arc, maybe one that will differ greatly than her actual one (hmmm?). Next Chapter will be up eventually. It will probably begin to develop the relationship between Liara and Shep, as well as bring back Jane. Thanks guys, and again please R &R. -Justanotherghostwriter_**


	6. Why are you mad?

Liara stormed through the Med-bay, completely ignoring Dr. Chakwas who attempted to greet her. Angry was putting it lightly. She could hardly get her thoughts in order as she smashed her hand on the console to open the door to her room. The door responded with its usual hiss and she stalked in.

 _Stupid me for believing that I would actually be allowed to go on missions. He goes out of his way to make me feel welcome, and then he just disregards me. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he doesn't trust me. Maybe he thinks that I'm some stupid child like my colleagues, or a disappointment like mother!_

She continued to fume as she paced around the small storage closet.

 _Gah! Why do I even care? I should be happy that he doesn't think I'm fit to fight. Now I can just sit here and do my job. Goddess, I'm not a soldier, I'm a scientist! He's the one- he is… I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE IS!_ She thought furiously. She had been on the ship a few days now and she still knew nothing about the Commander.

 _But I know how to find out._ She thought as she pulled out her omni-tool. She opened the document that Tali had sent her yesterday, and found that Tali's curiosity may have been closer described as an _obsession_.

 ** _The Biography of Commander "Hot Head"_**

 ** _From Zorah92_**

 ** _Early Life/Childhood_**

 ** _Commander John David Shepard was born on April 11, 2154 to Captains Victor (dec.) and Hannah Shepard. He has one sibling, a younger sister named Jane. He spent most of his childhood on the SSV McKinley, which was commanded by Captain David Anderson. His mother served as XO, while Victor Shepard was mostly away on various different assignments. Not much more could be found guys, sorry! I think it's safe to assume he wasn't getting dancing lessons though… On the bright side, I found pictures of little Shep! I love the extranet… [Attached Image(s)]_**

 ** _Early Military Career/Accomplishments_**

 ** _2172-2175_**

 ** _Shepard enlisted on his eighteenth birthday with the Alliance, despite having several academic and athletic scholarships lined up. He would proceed to set the record mark on the Alliance Officer Candidacy Test, a mark that still stands today. This was due largely to his perfect score on the "Small Unit Tactics and Leadership" section. He was given the rank of Lieutenant-Commander and invited to "N-School". I did some research, and apparently it's also referred to as "ICT", or "Interplanetary Combatives Training". It was established in response to the First Contact War and is considered one of the premier special forces groups in the galaxy. For an Alliance soldier, just getting invited is considered a huge honor. Shepard being Shepard, graduated with the rank of "N7", the highest rank you can achieve. Of the thousands of individuals invited, he was the only one to graduate an N7 in his class._**

 ** _2176_**

 ** _His first assignment after his training was groundside on a colony world known as Elysium. He was stationed there to protect the civilian population from the growing pirate activity in the area. Shortly after he arrived, Batarian Hegemony backed pirates and mercenaries descended on the colony in what would be known as the "Skyllian Blitz". Lieutenant-Commander John Shepard and a team of twelve Alliance grunts was the only defense the colony had, and reinforcements were eight days off. Shepard would raise a civilian militia of one hundred that would successfully defend the colony for eight days, while only sustaining eight casualties, all of them were Alliance marines. Shepard himself was severely wounded on the final day, supposedly taking a bullet for one of his civilian militiamen. Shepard was credited with over five hundred confirmed kills in a week. He would be promoted to " Staff-Commander", and receive the Star of Terra for his efforts, the Alliance's highest honor. To this day he is still called the "Hero of Elysium"._**

 ** _2177_**

 ** _Shepard completed several smaller missions during this time, and received several commendations for his service. He was in the midst of the fastest rise in the Alliance military since Admiral Hackett's own meteoric rise years before. Meanwhile, his sister Jane was involved in a rather nasty incident on Akuze. She had entered the military when she turned eighteen like her brother. Anyway, she was the lone survivor of a thresher maw attack. She was subsequently honorably discharged from military service, for "mental instability". Commander Shepard came under fire for assaulting a reporter who asked him about it. (It's actually pretty funny guys, the video is pretty easy to find on the extranet.) Anyway, Jane Shepard hasn't been heard from since, nor had Shepard spoken about it publicly._**

 ** _2178_**

 ** _Seeking revenge for the Skyllian Blitz, the Alliance would launch an assault on the moon of Torfan. They would give command of the operation to Captain Victor Shepard. Unfortunately, the pirates and mercenaries that called the moon home had dug-in, utilizing a system of underground tunnels to constantly flank and drive back all Alliance forces. After a month, Victor Shepard was listed as KIA, no cause of death was recorded, nor was a body recovered. The Alliance promoted his son to take over the operation immediately. The very next day, Shepard took a regiment of two hundred and fifty Alliance Marines and infiltrated the tunnel-system itself. Shepard led his troops through the tunnels, which were laced with various traps and ambushes. After the assault, Shepard admitted to sending troops into minefields or around sharp corners to "test the waters". He is also quoted saying "Alliance Marines sign up to die, now march! We WILL take this rock, I don't give a shit if I have to do it myself!" His callousness paid off, however. The moon indeed fell, although Shepard would return with only fourteen of the two hundred and fifty. "Shepard's Push", or the "Scarlet March" by some, earned Shepard a new nickname. "The Butcher of Torfan". Many people felt the brutality was necessary, including the Alliance Admiralty. However, detractors claim he could've been unfit for command with his father dying so recently, and this could've led to recklessness._**

 ** _2179-2180_**

 ** _Shepard involved in several "Black Ops". No info available. Sorry guys. Again, I think it's safe to assume none of these "Black Ops" included dancing lessons._**

 ** _2181-2183_**

 ** _Shepard is transferred to the SSV Kilimanjaro to serve as the XO to his mother, Captain Hannah Shepard. He received several more commendations; however, he would not be promoted to his own command again until, well, you guys know._**

 ** _Anyway, you guys know what happens next, he gets assigned as the XO on the Normandy, and later takes the place of Anderson and becomes the first human Spectre. Meanwhile, he picks up this awesome quarian, a krogan, and a thieving bosh'tet. Oh, and I found this gem, Shepard's first interview after Elysium. If you had any doubt Shepard's feelings towards aliens, just watch it!_**

Liara quickly clicked on the aforementioned link, and suddenly her omni-tool was suddenly alive with what looked like a much younger Shepard and a reporter.

"Commander Shepard, I'm Steven Hyung, with the Alliance News Network. Can I ask you a few questions?" The smaller man said to a much younger looking Shepard.

"Of course, what do you want to know?" The younger Shepard replied easily, flashing his trademark grin.

"It's more about what our viewers want to know, Lieutenant-Commander," the reporter replied seriously.

"Actually, it's just Commander now, the brass thought I deserved a promotion," Shepard said proudly, puffing his chest out ever so slightly.

"Oh, my apologies, Commander. I believe congratulations are in order," Hyung said quickly, clearly a little embarrassed that his information was out of date.

"It's all good. I just found out myself earlier today. Anyway, your questions…?" Shepard continued, letting the statement hang.

"Right! Well anyway Commander, I believe our viewers would most like to know what you think this victory says about human dominance moving forward?" Hyung asked amiably.

Liara's breathe caught in her throat at the question, and clearly the younger Shepard was put off by it as well. She watched as his grin quickly fell into a frown. "Um, actually Mr. Hyung I don't believe in…how did you put it? Oh yeah, 'human dominance'.

"Care to elaborate Commander?" The reporter asked slowly, clearly surprised by the younger Shepard's reaction.

"Humanity needs to join with the other species in this galaxy. We are nothing more than a piece of a greater whole. This whole 'humanity first' idea is kind of pathetic actually, and anyone who possesses it is an ignorant stain on our entire species, if you wanted it spelled out for you," Shepard continued pleasantly, but sending a sharp glare at the reporter.

"Are you forgetting about the First Contact War? What about the fact that the Skyllian Blitz has recently been tied to the Batarian Hegemony? Or, maybe the fact that humanity has been denied a seat at the Council table has endeared our alien _friends_ to you?" The reporter practically spat the word friend at Shepard, who appeared completely unmoved by his little rant.

"The First Contact War was a huge misunderstanding that escalated due to negligence on both sides. Since it ended, the turians have been peaceful, helpful allies. I might also add that it was almost twenty years ago, Mr. Hyung. As for the Batarian Hegemony, I never claimed to support every alien government. The Batarian Hegemony has sought violence and isolation, and deserve heavy repercussions," Shepard retorted calmly. Liara saw clearly how expertly Shepard was navigating the interview. He baited the reporter into becoming emotional, and then calmly refuted him. He painted the reporter with an opposing view as an ignorant, emotional, idiot, all while making himself seem thoughtful and composed.

"You still haven't commented on humanity being denied a seat on the Council, no response, huh? I think Commander Shepard is out of his depth," The reporter sneered. Liara just shook her head, the reporter clearly had no idea what Shepard was doing.

"One thousand years, Mr. Hyung," Shepard replied simply, flashing his smile at the camera.

"What?"

"Asari can live to be older than a thousand years old, Mr. Hyung," Shepard replied again, this time with a small chuckle, practically emanating approachability and thoughtfulness.

"What does that have to do with anything, Commander?" The reporter asked, clearly confused now.

"We've arrived on the galactic scene about twenty years ago. That is 1/50 of an asari's lifespan. What seems like forever for us, is peanuts to them. There are asari children leaving their houses for the first time right now that were born before we showed up. Not to mention we didn't exactly arrive under the best terms. I would also like to point out that many of the other alien species have been waiting for a seat on the Council for _generations_. Do I believe humanity deserves a place on the council? Of course, but this isn't something that can be rushed, or forced. We need to stop being so pushy as a species, and maybe show some patience," Shepard explained.

"I-er-um," the reporter stammered, clearly at a loss at what to say.

 _Checkmate._

"Right, I guess I'm the one who has no idea what he's talking about. I don't think I've ever heard such eloquence. I'm glad you were hired for your ability to talk. Just in case you didn't know, I'm an N7 commando. I graduated the _Interplanetary_ Combatives Training program with the highest honors," Shepard continued, emphasizing the word interplanetary. "So yeah, I guess you could say I understand the galaxy, at least more than some half-assed reporter," he continued relentlessly pushing his advantage. Liara could barely keep herself from laughing at the younger Shepard's rant.

"How dare y-," the reporter tried to recover indignantly, but was immediately interrupted.

"Ah shut up. The galaxy has enough professional idiots spewing their garbage," Shepard shut him down coldly before continuing much more solemnly. "Anyway, Elysium was great, and was a huge victory for the Alliance. I'd like to offer my sincere condolences to those who lost loved ones. We will never forget their brave sacrifices, and I know personally that I will have to do better. I did not enjoy putting civilians in harm's way, and if I could've avoided it I would've." "Thank you Mr. Hyung, but that's all the time I have," he finished and walked away swiftly, leaving the reporter staring awkwardly after him before the camera cut out.

Liara sat quietly for a moment, reflecting over everything that she'd just learned. Shepard had shown himself to be capable of great heroism, and extreme callousness. However, no matter how he did it, he got the job done. He was exceptional. Everything he's done has been a success. He also has dealt with loss thoroughly. He had lost many under his command, and had allegedly killed his father if he was to believed. Not to mention the sister who apparently lost her mind and disappeared.

 _His past is like a story book. He's done more incredible things in twenty eight years than I've done all my life!_

Still, the most important thing he'd displayed to Liara was his compassion to both aliens and civilians. His interview spoke for itself. It was fairly obvious why he was chosen as humanity's Spectre candidate, and she was now fairly certain to why he had left her behind.

 _I get it Shepard, but that's not going to work for me._

* * *

Shepard ducked just in time behind cover to avoid the missile that would've reduced him to paste.

 _Damn Armatures… We have to take out that damned dropship!_

He had leapt out of the Mako with Wrex when they'd gotten to the geth outpost, leaving Williams and Alenko in the tank to provide them with covering fire. The tactic was working until the damned drop ship came out of nowhere.

"Williams, you need to get that bird out of the sky, ASAP!" He called over his comm, still ducking behind the small pile of debris.

"Working on it Skipper," the chief replied annoyed into his earpiece. However, the next thing he saw was the shields on the ship flaring, and then they died to the Mako's main cannon.

Grinning, he summoned his biotics which immediately sprung to life around him in a blue corona.

 _Let's go you fuckers._

He finally stood out of his cover to face the hulking geth armature. Gathering energy in his right hand, he launched the strongest warp he could manage at the beast. The machine's shields gave out, but it was now gathering its own energy to return fire.

 _Shit. Shit! SHIT!_

However, before it could fire it was hit by another warp, this time from somewhere behind it. This time, the automaton couldn't handle the biotic energy, and combusted violently. He didn't even need to look at the krogan battlemaster, for his delighted cackle was already resounding around the battlefield.

"Come on Shepard, you're fighting like a pyjak. Would almost rather have Alenko out here!" The krogan was howling as he ripped the arm off one of the geth troopers and proceeded to bash it with its own limb.

"Someone needs to drive the tank while Williams shoots," Alenko's voice replied over the comm.

"Shoots rather poorly, is that ship still up Williams?" Shepard interjected over his own comm as he biotically threw a geth rather viciously into one of its counterparts.

Just then, an earsplitting explosion burst from the dropship's engines as the Mako made contact again. The ship veered off dangerously and disappeared from view beyond a mountain.

"You were saying Skipper?"

* * *

Liara's was distracted from watching younger Shepard's fist connecting with some poor reporter for the fifth time when she heard her door hiss open.

 _He's back! Good, now I can-_ She began to think until she whirled around and found herself looking at Tali.

"Oh, hey Tali!" She greeted the engineer warmly. She hadn't made many friends yet on the Normandy, but definitely counted the quarian among the few that she'd made.

"Hey Li, listen I was looking into what you said earlier," Tali said seriously as she worked her omni-tool.

"What did I say?" Liara asked, suddenly confused.

"About Garrus knowing that we were coming!" Tali replied impatiently, still fiddling with her omni-tool.

 _Oh, this again._

"Tali, I agree that he's guilty, but is this really necessary? You already said that you didn't even want the rations, and Garrus seems very nice," Liara said wearily, eying the quarian's rapid typing apprehensively.

"If I give up now, then he wins! I never said I didn't like him by the way, in fact, I love Garrus! He's really funny, and is very helpful. Whenever I need a gun mod, he's always happy to help. But, I'm not letting him get away with this, not when we finally have him cornered!" Tali said frantically, pausing for a second to meet her eyes.

"It seems like he is already winning Tali," Liara said with a small smile despite herself. The engineer was quite worked up, and she couldn't help but relate to her predicament. Back in her primary school days, she was often teased by the other students. She learned a long time ago to not indulge such behavior, but it seemed Tali still hadn't figured that out.

"Liara, _please_ , I just need your help one more time!" Tali pleaded desperately.

"Fine, but nothing crazy ok?" Liara replied begrudgingly.

"No, of course not! Anyway, I've been running tests on my omni to see if he bugged it, and it's completely clean!" The quarian said excitedly as she walked over to where Liara was sitting to show her the data herself.

"Ok, so how is he doing it?" Liara asked intrigued.

"He has an accomplice," Tali muttered darkly.

"Really? I wonder who it is?" Liara wondered aloud.

"I already figured that out actually. There are only two people on this ship that have access to the surveillance feeds, five guesses who one of them is?"

"Shepard of course," Liara replied with a grin, seeing where this was going.

"Yep, but it wouldn't be him. The first time this happened he was down on a ground mission," Tali said.

"Ok, then who is the other person?" Liara asked, genuinely impressed with Tali's detective work.

"Joker. Which is why I'm here…" Tali answered, although a new emotion was coloring her voice. Liara instantly recognized it, _guilt._

"Tali, what are you thinking?" Liara asked her, her own voice rising in warning.

"Well, um… I was thinking," the quarian began to stammer, and rubbed her hands nervously together.

"Tali!" Liara said reproachfully. She already knew she wasn't going to like this.

"Right! Um, anyway, it's going to be hard to get Joker to confess, and I can't literally break him or Shep will lose his mind," Tali mumbled, not looking at Liara.

Liara merely raised her eyebrows for the quarian to continue.

"So I came up with an alternative plan. You don't know Joker too well yet. He's really a great guy, but he does have a weakness," Tali continued, making sure to look anywhere but the asari sitting in front of her.

"Which is?" Liara was beginning to get annoyed with her.

"Joker _appreciates_ beautiful women, um, especially blue-," Tali began before Liara cut her off.

"No! No, no, no, no way Tali! Not a chance!" Liara said forcefully, feeling her face grow warm.

"Oh come on! You wouldn't actually have to do anything! Just flirt a little bit, maybe sit on his lap and act all interested in the Normandy?" Tali pleaded. "Honestly, just touching him a bit will probably make him spill it, maybe give him a massage? Carefully of course, he's got-," Tali continued encouragingly, before once again being cut off.

"I said no! I'm not encouraging cultural stereotypes, nor am I going to throw myself at someone I've only seen once or twice!" Liara interrupted her angrily.

"Pleasssse? It could be fun!" Tali tried again hopefully.

"That doesn't sound even remotely fun, Tali," Liara said seriously.

"Damn! You're right of course, it sounds awful," Tali conceded dejectedly. "But I reaaallly need this to happen! I can't stand looking at that turian's smug face anymore!" Tali continued hysterically.

Liara looked at the young engineer sadly. Tali was clearly upset, and once again she couldn't help but look back at her own similar experiences as a child yet again.

 _No one helped me in her position. It would've meant the world to me if someone had just stepped up to help the "pureblood". This isn't nearly as malicious, but, she really wants to win this… Goddess, I want to help her!_

Sighing, Liara stood up and stepped towards the quarian. "Tali, are you sure that this will work?"

"Yes. Yes of course it will! Liara… Liara are you sure?" Tali asked hopefully.

"No, but you've been kind to me, so the least I can do is return the favor," Liara replied, forcing a smile.

"Ok. Don't worry, this is going to go great! Just a little flirting, and he'll turn into putty in your hands Liara!" Tali exclaimed excitedly.

* * *

Joker couldn't help but roll his eyes at the surveillance feed. It astounded him that Tali knew he was keeping tabs on her, yet had proceeded to discuss how to break him with Liara out loud.

 _Not only that, she seems pretty confident that you're so depraved that you'll sell out your friend on the off chance of getting laid._ Deciding he should be insulted, he became resolute that two can play at this game.

"Hey Garrus, I need you to do something," Joker said over the comm.

"What is it? Make it quick, Shepard's due back in five minutes and I have to recalibrate the Mako," Garrus replied irritably.

"It's actually about Shepard. I just need you to send him up to the cockpit immediately when he gets back," Joker said as he watched Tali and Liara leave the Medbay, clearly on their way up to him.

"What for?" Garrus asked, suddenly curious.

"Scooby-Doo just sent Shaggy in to seduce me, and the Commander is really going to find this interesting," Joker replied.

"I-what? The translator caught a bit in the beginning there," Garrus replied puzzled.

"Tali is Scooby-Doo, Liara is Shaggy. I'll explain it later," Joker answered, rather amused.

"Um, ok. Wait! They're trying to seduce you?" Garrus asked incredulously.

"Yep. Tali seems to think all it'll take for me to spill it is Blue making a trip to the cockpit," Joker snickered at his own pun.

"Wow. This is turning out better than I hoped," Garrus replied giddily.

"Oh yeah. I can't wait to see Shep's face," Joker replied excitedly as he cut the comm.

 _Ok, if this goes according to plan, I will teach Tali a lesson, and mess with Shep… hopefully he'll find it as funny as I do… It may end up helping him._

* * *

Liara walked down the corridor rather nervously. She wasn't what you'd call "socially capable". She was always nervous when talking to people, worried that she'd say something stupid. Now, here she was, somehow expected to flirt and coerce the Normandy's pilot into selling out a friend.

 _Goddess, what am I doing?_ She thought to herself, yet her feet kept moving towards the helm.

 _Helping out a friend._ She thought again, but much more determined this time. She steeled her nerves, and walked up to the chair she knew Joker would be sitting in. However, before she reached it, the chair spun around, revealing the Normandy's pilot, who was smiling broadly.

"Hey Blue, what can I do for you?" He asked happily.

"Oh, um- I was just coming to introduce myself, we didn't have a chance to talk last night," Liara said with what she hoped was equal warmth in her voice. "I'm Liara," she added as she held out her hand to the bearded human.

Joker sat with a curious expression on his face, she couldn't place what it was, but some unknown emotion was etched into his features. "Well Liara, I'm Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau, but you can call me whatever you want," the pilot replied as he took her hand with a wink.

 _Oh, Goddess. Well at least this shouldn't be too difficult._

She forced what she hoped was a girlish giggle and not a maniacal cackle and continued, "Hm, I don't know what would be appropriate, I can think of many things to call you. Handsome, funny, _the best pilot in the fleet_ ," she said in her best sultry voice, and pushed it over the top by snatching the pilot's hat playfully and putting it on her own head.

 _This is insane. I've never used that voice in my life. I'll probably never be able to use it without hurling after this._

"Hey, give me my hat!" Joker replied in mock anger and grabbed her wrist and pulled her playfully onto his lap. She noticed him wince in pain but said nothing of it, remembering what Tali told her in the elevator about the pilot's condition.

"Mr. Moreau! This is highly inappropriate! I know nothing about you and here I am sitting on your lap!" Liara replied with her own mock anger. Now was the time to try and steer the conversation towards what she wanted to know.

 _Goddess, I swear if I feel any movement on the back of my legs, Tali's on her own._

"Hm, I see what you mean Blue, what do you what to know?" Joker replied, still wearing that inscrutable expression that Liara couldn't place.

"What do you do, you know, when you're not flying your ship?" Liara asked, making sure to bat her eyelashes seductively, although this time she was fairly certain that she just looked like she was twitchy.

"Hm, I don't know. Mostly watch videos I suppose," Joker replied apparently in deep thought. "Hey, I actually saw an interesting one earlier, do you want to see?" Joker asked her, outwardly excited.

"Um, sure I guess?" Liara replied, unsure where this was going.

The pilot whirled his chair around so that they were facing his console again. He typed up some commands and pulled up what Liara realized with dread was the Normandy's surveillance feeds. She sat in his lap, frozen by the shame of watching her and Tali minutes before in her room. She slowly glanced away from the video to look at his face. He was smiling, and merely cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Um- ," she stammered, at a loss to what to say.

 _Goddess, how did we not think that he would see us? He was playing us from the start!_

"You know what the best part is?" Joker asked, his voice practically giddy.

"No, wha-," she began before she was interrupted by a new voice, horrifyingly familiar, sounding from the entrance to the cockpit.

"What. The. Fuck?"

* * *

Shepard stood rooted to the spot. He could hardly believe his eyes. The naïve, nervous little scientist he left earlier was now sitting on Joker's lap, wearing his hat. He wasn't necessarily mad when the words had tumbled out of his mouth, more so just genuinely surprised. "What. The. Fuck?" However, the more he looked at the scene, the angrier he became. He found himself angry at Liara and Joker, yet he didn't know why.

"Shepard! Oh, Goddess this isn't what it looks like!" The asari piped up, looking absolutely horrified as she immediately jumped off the pilots lap.

"Liara, wait outside. I'll speak to you when I'm done talking to the Flight-Lieutenant," he said curtly.

The asari tossed Joker his hat and quickly bustled past him and into the corridor, blushing furiously. He walked over to the door controls without so much of a glance towards either of them, and hit the switch. The doors closed on the cockpit, locking him in with Joker. "Explain," he said as calmly as possible with the boiling rage in his gut.

"Garrus and I have been messing with Tali for weeks. He's been stealing the extra dextro rations and I've been helping him. Jamison was in on it to. It was hilarious Shep, I have video-," Joker began excitedly before John interrupted him in frustration.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well Tali discovered that I was helping Garrus, and well, take a look," Joker said calmly gesturing to the console behind him. John walked over and watched the video. It showed Tali and Liara discussing their plans to seduce information out of Joker. The quarian's assessment of the pilot, if he knew Joker, would no doubt offend him. He watched as Liara was against it vehemently at first, yet later the asari decided to help. The video only served to make him angrier with the pilot.

"So you knew what they were doing and decided to go along with it?" He growled in disgust.

"No. I decided to help you," Joker said with a grin.

"How does this in anyway help me?"

"How did you feel when you saw her sitting on my lap Shep?" Joker asked, still grinning smugly.

"Angry! Wha-," He began furiously before Joker interrupted him.

"Why? It's not against the rules. She's technically not in the chain of command, so fraternization regs don't apply," Joker said quickly to a now shocked John. He'd never been interrupted by a subordinate before. "So, it begs the question, why are you mad?" Joker asked, grinning viciously.

Suddenly, it all made sense. "Joker, is this all about what we talked about in the elevator earlier? I already told you, I don't think of her-," Shepard began again before Joker interjected again.

"Then why are you mad?"

 _Why am I mad? I- I don't know. Dammit, maybe he has a point… No! That's not what this is at all. She's pretty, but that's it. I've only talked to her twice. This is about Joker abusing his power and taking advantage of a fellow crewmember. Right?_

"Damn it, whatever Moreau. You're still in deep shit, call Garrus, Jamison, and Tali up here, and call Liara back in.

"Aye-aye," Joker replied, wearing a shit-eating grin if he's ever seen one.

At once Liara was in front of him, but refused to meet his gaze. A minute later, Garrus, Jamison, and Tali all piled in. Upon seeing who else was there, he heard the turian mutter something along the lines of "Ah, shit."

"Garrus, it has been brought to my attention that you have broken Alliance and Council regs on ration distribution,along with participating in the hazing of a fellow crewmember," he said coolly to the turian. It was a minor offense in the grand scheme of things, but he knew he needed to be disciplined nonetheless.

"Um, yeah. It was really funny though Shep. You should've seen her running around trying to catch us, I have some vids if you want to-," Garrus replied hopefully before John cut off his friend.

"Maybe later. You're barred from the next combat mission, dismissed," he said emotionlessly. He would not be swayed, even by a friend. He thought heard Tali mutter something like "ha, take that," but ignored it.

"Tali, you're barred too," he continued as he turned slightly to face the quarian as the doors hissed open to announce Garrus's departure.

"What!? What for?" Tali replied, shocked.

"Alliance regs specifically ban keeping information concerning the good of the crew from your Commanding officer," he replied, his voice stern.

"It was only affecting me!" Tali argued indignantly.

"I have a very liberal interpretation of the rules. What affects one of us, affects all of us, and you're one of us," he countered calmly.

"Oh. Um, ok. Thanks Shep," Tali said softly, realizing what he said.

"Uh-huh. Just remember that goes for everyone, including Joker. You seemed very confident in his complete lack of control in the vid. I believe he was offended," John continued, yet warmer in tone now.

"Oh, shit. Sorry Joker, I didn't really me-, anyway sorry," Tali said guiltily.

"No problem Tali, and I'm sorry for jerking you around," Joker replied with a small smile.

"Good, dismissed Tali," he continued, as he now turned towards the Requisitions Officer.

"Jamison, I'm really getting tired of your indifference to the regs concerning bribery," he stated coldly.

"How did you know that's what I did?"

"I guessed and you confirmed it just now. Joker just said you were involved," John said tiredly.

"Damn."

"Yep. Anyway, you got cleaning duty for the next week, Wrex makes quite the mess down in the armory," John continued .

"Shit, aye-aye sir, and sorry. It won't happen again," Jamison replied .

"Uh-huh, dismissed," John replied. He waited for the human to march out and faced the two remaining crewmembers.

"Shepard, I'm so sorry! I didn't-," Liara blurted out before she was quieted by the raise of his hand.

"There's nothing to explain. Joker came clean, and I saw the video," he interjected calmly. He found the anger he felt towards the asari receding since he saw the surveillance clip.

"Oh."

"Technically you didn't break any regulations Liara, and I think you've already been punished enough," he said with a grin as he gestured to Joker. He watched as the asari changed colors, absolutely mortified.

"What are you trying to say, Commander?" Joker interrupted lightly.

"Shut it Moreau, you're still in deep shit," he replied coldly, glancing at the pilot. "Anyway, report to the armory, I'll be down there after I finish up here with the FLT," he continued, returning his attention to the asari.

"Why the armory? Liara asked confused.

"I still need to evaluate your shooting, unless you changed your mind?"

"Oh! Of course not, Commander," Liara replied surprised.

"Good, dismissed," he said and watched as the asari bounded out of the room. Then he turned to Joker. The Flight-Lieutenant met his gaze confidently, he was one of the few subordinates he'd had who wasn't in awe of him, or frightened. "Invasion of privacy, abuse of power, withholding important information from your Commanding Officer," he read off the infractions coolly.

"Right. I did bring this all to light though," Joker pointed out hopefully.

"Hm, here's what I'm going to do. You're relieved of duty for the next two days," he said brusquely. He was angry with Joker, but nearly as much as he was before. It was scummy, but not necessarily damaging.

 _Damn it. 'Why are you mad?' Stupid smartass pilot. Either way he still fucked up, but not much more than the rest of them. And we need him…_

"Commander, with all due respect no one can fly this ship like me and if we run into that dreadnought-," Joker began indignantly before he was interrupted.

"Before you leave, please set a course to the Citadel. We are taking a short shore leave for the next two days."

"I- _Oh_ ," Joker replied, his voice rising in understanding.

"Uh-huh, now you're getting it," he said with a smirk. "Now if you excuse me, I have an appointment," he continued and turned to leave.

"I hope your _evaluation_ is fruitful," Joker called after him happily.

"Eat a dick Joker."

"Aye-aye."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: Hey guys, I had a little writer's block going on, so sorry I took a little longer than usual. I knew what I wanted to say, just not how I wanted to say it. I hope you guys enjoyed it, I was still on the fence about most of it. This chapter was huge, I almost broke it into two chapters, but decided it would be better all together. Anyway, I hope it didn't seem too OC, but I did take some liberties with the characters. I would also like to apologize about the lack of Jane, I know I promised more this chapter but this one simply got too long (Although there was some important stuff about her in the beginning). As always, R &R is greatly appreciated! This fic is nearing the end, although I will continue this story under different fics. This is simply because I want to jump around a little bit in the timeline, and the continuous nature I've been writing this fic in doesn't lend itself to that. -Justanotherghostwriter**_


	7. Bad Dreams and Malicious Intent

_"Jane."_

 _She heard his voice, it was distant, unimportant. He didn't see. He couldn't know._

 _"Jane!"_

 _So distant. So insignificant._

 _"Come on Jay, talk to me!"_

 _Incredible really, that she heard him at all. She hadn't heard anything other than the roars, or the sizzling, in a week._

 _Suddenly he forced his face into her field of view, she was vaguely aware that he cupped her face in his hands. His eyes a deep blue, full of concern. "Jane, please talk to me."_

 _Why talk when she could be silent? Silence was good. Noise meant that they were coming back. God forbid she move. Sound was bad, but movement was worse. Even now she could feel the ground trembling._

 _"Damn it Jane, Dad said you were messed up, but… but… come on, just talk to me… please."_

 _His face was wrought with fear. She'd never seen him like this. He was always brave, composed. John Shepard wasn't afraid. No Shepard was ever afraid. Not Mom, certainly not Dad, and never Johnny. Was she afraid? Yes. Without a shadow of a doubt._

 _"Jane, I know you're in there, and I'm not leaving until you talk to me."_

 _She turned to meet his eyes, and tried to work her voice. Nothing. The connection wasn't there anymore. She couldn't speak. Instead she just smiled at him, fleeting, uncertain, but the message was clear._

 _"I knew it. I knew you were still in there! Don't worry Jane, we'll get through this."_

 _She smiled again and nodded at her brother. He was always looking out for her._

 _"Ha! I can't wait to tell Dad. I told him Jay, nothing was going to keep you-," BOOM!_

 _She flinched as liquid sprayed into her face. She watched in horror as her brother dropped to his knees, blood trickling from the hole that had appeared in the middle of his head. A gunshot…? No that's not right… that didn't happen here. She rose a trembling hand to her face running her hand along her cheek before bringing it back down into her field of view. Her hand was covered in his blood. She tried to scream, but once again her voice failed her._

 _"Hm, well that's interesting."_

 _She whipped her head back to her brother who had just spoken up again. He had mirrored her and had touched the bullet hole in his own head, pulling away his own blood-covered hand. However, something was wrong… The blood in his hand, it wasn't red! It was… oh God, no… it was green, and now it was sizzling… not this…_

 _She felt the burning in her own hand, and sure enough when she checked her hand, his blood was now green, and sizzling. She closed her eyes as the ground shook violently._

 _"Huh, I didn't know my blood was Thresher Maw spit," John said thoughtfully._

 _Her eyes shot open to glare at him. What an idiotic comment…However when she looked towards where her brother had been she found nothing. In fact, she wasn't even in the same room. Where did the hospital go? No, wait… she knew this place. A desert world, the sky a deep magenta color, no signs of life except the trembling ground… Akuze._

 _She once again tried to scream, 'No not here!' Again to no avail. The tremors intensified. She whipped around just in time to see the Maw breach and lunge towards her, a bloodcurdling roar drowning her senses. She screamed…_

"NO!" She now sat in her bed, a cold sweat drenching her face and dampening the T-shirt she was wearing.

 _Shit, another nightmare._

Shaking her head in disgust, she glanced at the clock on her nightstand.

 _Six, damn. I guess I should get up. Today's an important day._

Sighing, she rose from her bed and headed to the refresher cubicle. She turned on the shower and shed her clothes. Before long she found herself standing with her eyes closed, the hot water running over her face.

 _Been a long time since I thought about the hospital. Johnny was true to his word. He stayed there for a week until I had finally spoken up. He was good to me…_

Growling, she turned the dial on the wall and gasped as the hot water turned ice cold.

 _That was before he killed Dad. No, he fucking dies next time we meet._

* * *

Sighing, she punched the console and stepped through the door into the small office space. It's only inhabitant was a volus, who seemed rather unsurprised by her visit.

"Ah…Ms. Vasir… It's a pleasure to meet you…" The volus greeted her warmly, barely looking up from his terminal.

"Barla Von," she replied curtly as she walked up to his desk.

 _Shocker. Knows my name and that I was coming. Definitely the right guy._

"What…can I do for you?" Barla Von asked amiably, still not looking away from his terminal.

"I think you know," she replied as she leaned on the creature's desk in the most threatening way possible.

"Hm, perhaps. Would it… have something to… do with your new… assignment?"

 _He knows about my assignment. Damn it, no point in lying then._

"Yes. I've been ordered to track down and eliminate your boss."

"Yes… the Broker knows… of your mission… Spectre," The Volus rasped, finally looking up from his console.

 _Of course he does._

"You see the problem with that, I assume?" She asked calmly, but staring daggers at him.

"Yes... It is hard… to track down… someone who doesn't… leave tracks," the volus replied.

 _He's very open, and seemingly helpful. He doesn't even seem to be afraid._

"Hm, nicely put. Yes, that is the gist of my problem."

"Hm… I knew you…were coming, I knew…. who you were, but I admit… I do not know, why you're here. I don't know where… the Shadow Broker is…"

"Of course, but you do receive orders from him. Those need to come from somewhere," she replied lazily as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a datastick which she held up in front of her. "I intend to use _this_ to find out where that is."

"Hm… a virus? That will not… work. The orders I… receive from the Broker are… relayed through several… different locations. Not to mention… the data is… highly encrypted…"

"This is no mere virus. It's a prototype malware program developed by the STG. It is… highly illegal and honestly quite dangerous," she replied, letting a trace of uncertainty to enter her voice.

"Why is it… dangerous?"

"It's sentient," she replied, smiling at the Volus who finally seemed surprised.

"An AI? That's… interesting…I take it you… want to upload that… onto my terminal?"

 _Why is he going along with this?_

"Yes. Mr. Von, may I ask why you're going along with this?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at the Volus.

"Hm… well Thessia-Clan… I know better than… to cross Spectres," he replied, still calm.

 _We'll see._

"I hope so," she replied as she stalked around the desk to plug in the datastick. Upon the entry of the datastick, a single message scrolled across the screen. **Download complete. Advanced Data Detection And Tracking Intelligence will complete tracking in (1) solar day.** "I'll be back tomorrow when ADDATI finishes finding the Shadow Broker. If you tamper with him or attempt to warn your boss I'll show you just how bad crossing a Spectre can be."

"Um…Understood…"

Smiling, she turned and left the stubby little alien behind her.

 _One day on the Citadel and already I've made some serious progress. Ha! Soon I will be recognized as the Spectre who finally eliminates the Shadow Broker… I think I deserve a drink!_

* * *

Liara waited in the armory quietly. She was happy that there was no one else in the room. She had trouble thinking when there was a crowd of people, and she _really_ needed to think.

 _Two days on his ship and already I have been involved in a scheme that resulted in disciplinary action being taken against half of the ground team! Not to mention that Shepard now think you're a whore. Goddess! How many asari has he even met? He might just think that is normal asari behavior!_

She was jolted from her thoughts by her omni-tool chiming. Frowning, she opened it and found the group chat had become very active over the last few minutes.

 ** _Joker4ever- Well, on the bright side we get some shore-leave._**

 ** _Vakariansbetter24- I guess. Too bad it's on the station where I've spent the last ten years of my life. Not exactly exotic. What was your punishment?_**

 ** _Joker4ever- Two days suspension, which just happens to coincide with our shore-leave._**

 ** _Vakariansbetter24- Lucky bastard._**

 ** _Joker4ever- What can I say? I'm essential._**

 ** _Zorah92- That's not quite the word I would use to describe you._**

 ** _Joker4ever- Hmm… well I believe Liara had some choice adjectives earlier if you want to borrow some of those._**

Scowling, she typed her own message.

 ** _Asariangel54- I still can't believe we didn't see that coming._**

 ** _Asariangel54- Ugh, why am I Asariangel54?_**

 ** _Zorah92- Joker put you in as that._**

 ** _KAlenko- Shocker._**

 ** _Zorah92- You can change it, go under options._**

 ** _Asariangel54 has changed their name to "Liara"_**

 ** _Vakariansbetter24- Looks like we have another one with no creativity. Really Liara, that puts you on the same level of creativity as Wrex._**

 ** _Wrex- Ha! Don't mind the pyjaks Blue. I'll tell you what I told them, I'm saving my creativity for finding new ways to disembowel Geth. I see you're the same way!_**

 ** _Joker4ever- Wow. It was disturbing the first time, I didn't think it could get worse. Turns out I was wrong._**

 ** _Vakariansbetter24- That is the person you're emulating Blue. How do you feel about that?_**

 ** _Liara- Um… do Geth even have "bowels"?_**

 ** _Wrex- If they do, they won't for long._**

 ** _Liara- Right…_**

 ** _Joker4ever- Anyway, has Shep arrived for your "evaluation"?_**

 ** _Liara- Why did you put that in quotes?_**

 ** _Zorah92- Ugh. Come on Joker, don't._**

 ** _Joker4ever- What? I didn't do anything._**

 ** _Zorah92- Haven't you caused enough trouble for the day?_**

 ** _Joker4ever- Seriously, I was just wondering if they were getting amorous in the armory yet._**

 ** _Liara- Goddess…_**

 ** _Vakariansbetter24- I don't support this line of questioning in any way…but "amorous in the armory" is gold._**

 ** _Zorah92- You guys are pigs._**

 ** _Joker4ever- Oh please Tali. Before Liara was in the chat you were just as much a part of this as we were!_**

 ** _Zorah92- That's totally beside the point!_**

 ** _Liara- And for the record that is not what is happening! Shepard and I hardly know each other, and it isn't like that anyway!_**

 ** _Joker4ever- Suuure. We'll see. Garrus, when do you think Blue and the Commander are going to bump uglies?_**

 ** _KAlenko- That's wrong on so many levels._**

 ** _Zorah92- If "bump uglies" means what I think it does I agree._**

 ** _Vakariansbetter24- I've tormented Liara and Tali enough for the day. I'm not responding._**

 ** _Liara- Thank you Garrus._**

 ** _Wrex- For the record, "bump uglies" means to have sex. Krogan have the same phrase._**

 ** _Liara- Thanks for that lovely bit of insight Wrex, now if you excuse me I have to go. Shepard is here._**

 ** _Liara has disconnected from the chat._**

Shutting down her omni-tool, Liara turned towards where the Commander was now approaching her. The reason for his delay was easily evident, for he now was out of his armor and in his Alliance undress uniform.

"Hey Liara, sorry about that. I really needed a shower," he greeted her warmly, although she could easily hear the strain in his voice.

"It's fine. Long day?" She asked him, she could see the bags under his eyes and recognized that he was exhausted.

 _Is he still not sleeping? I thought we fixed it when I melded with him?_

"Yeah. Killing Geth is hard work, not to mention I got back just in time to sort through possibly the weirdest break in regulations ever," He replied with a sigh. She felt her cheeks color at his comment and remained silent, watching him as he approached the bench and grabbed a small pistol.

"I'm sorry Shepard, I-," she began before he rose a hand to silence her.

"It's fine Liara, there's nothing left to discuss," he interjected, but not unkindly.

"It doesn't feel fine. I've been on your ship for two days and have caused nothing but trouble!" She cried, suddenly very angry with herself.

"Do you want to leave, Liara?" He asked calmly as he walked over to a small locker and pulled out a pistol.

The question took her by surprise. She'd never thought of leaving. Sure, she'd thought about just being the Resident Scientist instead of joining him on the ground, but leaving? No, the idea was impossible. She had to be here, she had to help this human. "No, of course not! But I can't help but think that I've been more of a burden than an asset," she replied miserably.

"Is that why you want to join the ground team?" He asked absently, as he fiddled with the pistol over the bench, apparently putting some modification on it.

"Yes, I want to help you Shepard, and I know I can!" She said with the utmost conviction, approaching where he stood with his back towards her at the bench.

He paused for a second, clearly deep in thought. She watched as he turned the gun over in his hands. To any onlooker he would seem to be examining his work, but she was close enough to see that he wasn't even looking at the pistol, instead he was staring off into space. "I don't like it, but if you can shoot straight I will certainly take all the help I can get."

Smiling, she rested a hand on his shoulder in what she hoped he would recognize as a friendly gesture, and not a flirtatious one. She'd already made enough of a fool of herself for one day. "Thank you Shepard, I know this is hard for you," she said warmly, but felt his shoulders stiffen at the comment.

"What makes you think that?" He asked, still not facing her but the annoyance in his voice was unmistakable.

"Oh, um, I was curious about you, I didn't really understand, and um-," she stammered, caught completely off-guard.

Finally, he left the pistol on the desk and turned around to face her, and silenced her rambling by gripping both her shoulders and lowering himself slightly so that he was eye-level with her. "Liara, relax. I'm not angry with you. You were curious and you did what any scientist would do-research," he said calmly. She found that she was transfixed by his gaze, which seemed to bore through her. Only with his hands on her shoulders did she realize how _big_ he was. His hands were far larger than any asari's, and his height would rival any turian's. Everything about the gesture radiated confidence and strength. Things she didn't have, but certainly things she was beginning to think she _wanted._

 _Goddess say something, he's waiting for you to say something!_ She thought frantically but before she could speak up he continued.

"That being said, in the future know that you don't have to research me, I'll answer any questions you might have," he said warmly, flashing a small smile before releasing her and turning back to the gun.

"Actually, I did have some questions," she ventured nervously, not exactly trusting the offer.

He didn't answer, instead he turned down the range and fired the newly modified pistol. Five times he fired, and five shots passed through the inner-most ring of the "bulls-eye".

 _Goddess. It's obvious why they made him a Spectre. He's not expecting me to match that, is he?_

Apparently he was able to read her thoughts because he laughed again and answered, "No Liara, I don't expect you to do that, but I do have an idea."

"Hm, is this anything like your last 'idea'?" She asked, smiling at the memory of the previous day.

"Yes actually," he replied, grinning as he handed her the pistol.

* * *

She fumbled quickly over the keys on her omni-tool. She had thirty seconds to decrypt five lines of code. Generally this would be rather easy for her, but for once she found herself rather impressed by Citadel Security.

 _Damn it. Dumb bastards finally got smarter._

Finally, she cheered quietly as her omni-tool lit up florescent green and chimed.

 _Not smart enough._

She quickly began the upload of the virus to the mainframe. The problem with locating a prototype stealth frigate captained by the first human Spectre was, well, exactly that. Still, she knew Normandy made its berth on the Citadel. Her next problem was knowing when and where the Normandy would arrive on the station. The station was massive, and she couldn't watch the whole place. However, if she _did_ know that…

 **Download Complete. Please specify target designation.**

Smiling viciously, she typed out the word that would ensure her victory.

 **Normandy.**

 _The web is in place, now the widow must await the fly._ She thought savagely and with another touch on her omni-tool her tactical-cloak sprung to life, and she was gone.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: Sorry this one took so long guys, I've been SO busy recently. Not to mention I've had some serious writer's block. Anyway, I finally delivered and Jane makes a reappearance at last! I hope you enjoy chapter 7! As usual I found myself unsure about some parts, so R &R is greatly appreciated! On a related but unrelated note, I'd like to say that Mass Effect: Andromeda looks awesome, can't wait for Bioware to once again deliver a phenomenal game. (Assuming EA stays as far away as possible of course, fingers crossed...) -Justanotherghostwriter**_


End file.
